Colby Covington doesn’t see his latest loss as a legitimate loss.
The official result of Saturday’s UFC Tampa main event was a TKO win due to a doctor stoppage for Joaquin Buckley, who battered Covington with hard punches that opened up a gnarly cut over Covington’s right eye early in the fight. By Round 3, Covington’s face was covered in blood and a ringside physician ruled that Covington could not continue.
UFC CEO Dana White later told reporters he believed if the bout was held in Las Vegas, the doctor would not have stopped the fight. In a behind-the-scenes video posted to Covington’s YouTube channel, the three-time UFC title challenger agreed when told of White’s comments as he was being stitched up.
“That’s what I’m going to say, too,” Covington said. “Bullshit. It was building, a five-round fight.”