It should come as no surprise that Colby
Covington has a different perspective on the happenings at
UFC
Tampa this past Saturday night.
Advertisement
The three-time welterweight title challenger returned for the first
time in a year, falling to Joaquin
Buckley via third-round technical knockout in the evening’s
main event at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. The bout was halted
by a cageside doctor at the 4:42 mark of Round 3 due to a
significant cut above Covington’s right eye.
It was unclear exactly what caused the wound, but Covington seemed
to believe it occurred due to a clash of heads. While Buckley
appeared to be in clear control of the fight prior to the stoppage,
Covington contends that he was robbed of an opportunity to shift
momentum down the stretch.
“We came in close contact, and I felt like there was a headbutt,
and as soon as it cut in the first round, I couldn’t see,”
Covington said on his YouTube channel. “I had blurred vision, I was
seeing three different people, I was like, f—k, which one do I
punch? I didn’t know what to do. I was kind of confused, but I knew
I had to keep fighting. I had to give the UFC and the fans a show.
That’s what they pay their hard-earned money to come for and I’m a
warrior. We’re gladiators. I’m not going to stop.
“I’ve had way worse in fights than a little cut over my eye, so
it’s unfortunate that the doctor stopped the fight like that
because if we’re in Vegas, I know the fight gets to keep going. I
feel like I was really just starting to gain momentum. Like I was
starting to wear him out, I could see him breathing out of his
mouth. There wasn’t as much volume at that point, so I feel like it
was going to be my fight in the championship rounds, so it was an
unfortunate stop and I feel like the doctor is the one that beat me
tonight. I didn’t feel like I lost to another opponent.”
Covington accepted the fight on short notice after Ian Garry was
pulled from the UFC Tampa card to face Shavkat
Rakhmonov in the UFC 310
co-headliner one week prior. The 36-year-old MMA Masters product is
just 2-4 in his last six promotional outings, but he remains
confident that he still has plenty to offer the sport.
“We’re going to be back stronger than ever. This is just the
beginning for me. I wasn’t at my best tonight. I came off the
couch, but it was for the company. I did this for the company that
I love so much that changed my life. I know that there’s still a
lot of fight in me and the best is yet to come,” Covington
said.
“I was just getting warmed up in that fight. I think it was tied up
1-1, and I was starting to wear on him. I could see him breathing
out of his mouth. I was starting to catch him with more shots, so
it’s unfortunate that they stopped it. Even Dana [White] came out
and said if that was in Vegas, that would have never been stopped,
so I took his hardest shots and they weren’t nothing. They didn’t
faze me at all. I was walking right down. So we’ll come back
stronger.”