Colby Covington Vs. Joaquin Buckley Predictions – ‘He Is Past His Prime’
Colby Covington headlines against Joaquin Buckley at UFC Tampa this weekend, as MMA pros gave their predictions.
Covington has his first fight since losing to Leon Edwards at UFC 296 last December. He suffered a unanimous decision defeat, missing out on the UFC Welterweight Title at the time. Colby issued a lot of trash talk, crossing the line when he referred to Edwards’ deceased father. Edwards responded by throwing a bottle at Covington, as he delivered in the Octagon. Covington later blamed a foot injury for his poor performance. Colby only has one win in his last three fights, as he has plenty to prove as the underdog.
Buckley is on an impressive run of form, with five wins on the bounce. Three of those are by way of knockout. His last loss was in 2022 at UFC 282 when he came up short against Chris Curtis. Buckley enters the fight with a knockout win against Stephen Thompson at UFC 307. He is the favorite and is a more active fighter. He has fought twice in 2024, with his last fight coming in October. According to FanDuel, Covington is considered a +230 underdog. Meanwhile, Buckley is way ahead as a -310 favorite. MMA pros weighed up the upcoming fight and gave their predictions.
Predictions
“Buckley. I think Covington has lost a step and is taking it on short notice which isn’t good for him, as Buckley has been active and looking good,” Chase Hooper (UFC lightweight)
“I think Buckley is the dark horse of the division. Everyone is talking about Shavkat, Garry, JDM. I’m really high on Buckley at welterweight. I’m not sure if Colby was chomping at the bit to fight or was forced. He is for the first time going into a fight with no promises of a title fight. I think Buckley wins,” Michael Chiesa (UFC welterweight)
“I think Buckley gets the win. Covington didn’t look good at all in his last fight, and I think that could be a sign of him being past his prime a bit. Buckley looks great at welterweight and has the ability to stuff Covington’s takedowns,” Billy Quarantillo (UFC featherweight)
“I got Buckley. I don’t like Covington on the short notice, especially after his last fight and I wonder how much he truly wants to fight. This is Buckley’s chance to make a name and become a contender,” Max Griffin (UFC welterweight)
“I think Covington gets it done with his wrestling. He has a chip on his shoulder,” Davey Grant (UFC bantamweight)
Full Card
Colby Covington vs. Joaquin Buckley
Cub Swanson vs. Billy Quarantillo
Manel Kape vs Bruno Silva
Vitor Petrino vs. Dustin Jacoby
Adrian Yanez vs. Daniel Marcos
Navajo Stirling vs. Tuco Tokkos
Prelims
Michael Johnson vs. Ottman Azaitar
Joel Alvarez vs. Drakkar Klose
Sean Woodson vs. Fernando Padilla
Miles Johns vs. Felipe Lima
Miranda Maverick vs. Jamey-Lyn Horth
Davey Grant vs. Ramon Taveras
Josefine Knutsson vs. Piera Rodriguez
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