UFC CEO Dana White has wrapped up one other packed 12 months of motion with Saturday evening’s UFC Tampa. As soon as the lights went down in Amalie Area in St. Petersburg, FL after the cardboard, the CEO of MMA‘s No. 1 promotion headed backstage to satisfy with the assembled media for the ultimate post-fight press junket earlier than a three-week hiatus for the festive season.
In the course of the UFC Tampa major occasion, No. 6 contender Colby Covington (17-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC) made his seventeenth stroll to the well-known Octagon, this time eschewing his standard walkout music, Kurt Angle’s WWE theme, Medal, in favor of Hulk Hogan’s entrance observe, Actual American. Hogan accompanied Covington for his entrance.
Alongside the sports activities leisure icon was MMA legend Chael Sonnen, the latter serving as Covington’s cornerman for the competition in opposition to No. 9 contender Joaquin Buckley ( on the Tampa Bay Lightning’s dwelling rink.
Covington Suffers Reduce and Dana White Responds
Earlier than the third spherical of a scheduled 5 within the headlining affair of the night in St. Pete, the struggle physician cautioned Colby Covington that she would finish the bout if a reduce on his proper eyelid worsened to the purpose the place his imaginative and prescient was compromised.
Joaquin Buckley dropped “Chaos” throughout the third spherical of the competition, and upon the struggle returning to the toes, referee Dan Miragliotta paused the motion to allow the struggle physician to check out the reduce. True to her phrase, she urged that Miragliotta wave off the competition.
On account of a Physician’s Stoppage Joaquin Buckley wins by TKO.#UFCTampa pic.twitter.com/rj6iEjNFkK
— UFC (@ufc) December 15, 2024
Throughout his press convention, Dana White talked about that Colby Covington took the results of the final major occasion within the UFC within the outdated 12 months in stride.
“Pay attention, Colby’s an older man that fights each now and again,” Dana White started. He’s all the time sturdy and all the time robust. I additionally really feel like Colby wasn’t too pissed that struggle wasn’t stopped by the reduce. It was positively bothering him.”
Dana White’s Feedback Continued
“It was positively bothering him,” White resumed, “and actually, as quickly because the nook would repair it, he’s ready to stroll again out and rips it open once more and makes it begin bleeding once more, so, that alone tells you that the reduce was bothering him big-time.”
Had the primary occasion between Covington and Buckley not taken place in Florida, Dana White believes that the struggle physician wouldn’t have been known as into study the previous’s reduce.
“[There’s] little question that it was a foul reduce, however that struggle doesn’t get stopped in Vegas,” he mentioned. “That struggle retains getting into Vegas, one hundred pc.”
Sonnen Was Able to Rescue Covington From Additional Harm
As talked about earlier, Chael Sonnen was Colby Covington’s cornerman throughout Saturday night’s affair in opposition to Joaquin Buckley inside Amalie Area. Earlier Sunday, Sonnen took to his YouTube channel to debate the struggle from his perspective.
“We knew going into the struggle [that] we’re coping with an excellent man,” Sonnen started. “We weren’t overlooking Buckley, I’m simply sharing for you he turned out to be higher. He turned out to be extra highly effective, he turned out to be sooner. He turned out to push just a little more durable in sure conditions, sensible man, too. Colby [was] coming in for takedowns, however Buckley knew each time Colby was considering takedowns, someway Buckley knew.”
Afterward within the video, Sonnen revealed that he was planning on saving “Chaos” from a continued onslaught in opposition to Buckley and make Dana White’s remarks from the press convention irrelevant within the course of.
“Colby seemed so dog-tough,” he continued. “Buckley did, too. Colby was getting hit on his toes with every little thing you could possibly do. I imply, he’s busted open so unhealthy, the physician has to take a look at it 3 times. Twice, he stops the motion to let it hold going, the third time, he mentioned ‘Man, we will’t go anymore.’ I used to be going to cease the struggle. I already grabbed the towel. When the physician got here in for the third time and I’m watching that blood, it’s not stopping and it’s going into the attention, and that’s the one factor you’re actually in search of.”
Last Ideas
Dana White talked about in his post-fight presser that Colby Covington wasn’t that offended over his struggle in opposition to Buckley getting halted amid that reduce on his eyelid over the weekend. His explosive persona that’s grow to be half and parcel of the previous was lacking in motion on the ceremonial weigh-ins on Friday.
Might this be the beginning of a brand new Colby Covington? Solely time will inform.
