Joaquin Buckley dominated the UFC Tampa main event but the conclusion was still somewhat anticlimactic when the ringside physician actually ended the fight due to a gruesome cut suffered by Colby Covington that only got worse with each passing round.
The gash over Covington’s eye was opened in the first round from an uppercut landed by Buckley and the wound continued to take repeated damage during nearly every exchange. The doctor examined Covington in the third round and she actually showed concern that he might lose his eyelid if the cut got much worse so referee Dan Miragliotta had no choice but to stop the contest.
While Buckley was winning in lopsided fashion up to that point, UFC CEO Dana White still disagreed with the stoppage and he believes the call would have been different if the fight took place a little closer to home.
“No doubt that was a bad cut but that fight doesn’t get stopped in Vegas,” White said at the UFC Tampa post-fight press conference. “That fight keeps going in Vegas. 100 percent.”
As much as White believes the fight would have continued if the ringside physicians in Nevada examined the cut, he also didn’t see a whole lot of disappointment in Covington’s face when the bout was waved off.
Over two plus rounds, Covington absorbed a lot of damage with 71 significant strikes landed by Buckley. White praised Covington for showing a lot of durability to survive the onslaught but he also didn’t see the tide turning much prior to the stoppage.
“Listen, Colby’s an older guy that fights every once in a while,” White said. “He’s always durable and he’s always tough, like I just said. Did you hear the body shots he was getting hit with tonight? And the head shots he took? That stuff would have stopped other guys. Colby’s tough, but I also feel like Colby wasn’t too pissed that fight got stopped by the cut. The cut was definitely bothering him.
“He’s obviously still one of the top ranked guys. What we were saying about him all night, took big shots, stayed in there, the cut was obviously bothering him but I also believe if that fight’s in Vegas, that fight doesn’t get stopped with that cut. But I don’t think that Colby was very upset when it did [get stopped]. It was bothering him.”
Between two separate rounds, Covington had a cutman tend to his gaping wound in an attempt to slow down the bleeding.
Despite best efforts to tend to the gash, Covington kept wiping away at his eye because the cut was clearly affecting him throughout the fight.
“It was definitely bothering him,” White said. “Literally as soon as the corner would fix it, he’s waiting to walk back out and he rips it open again and makes it start bleeding again. That alone tells you that was bothering him big time.”
While the UFC Tampa main event didn’t get a dramatic conclusion with a knockout, submission or even a definitive decision, White still credits Buckley for a job well done.
For all the ways he believes the fight would have continued in Nevada versus what happened in Florida, White knows Buckley was winning in lopsided fashion before ultimately moving to 6-0 in the UFC welterweight division.
“Listen, you go in and beat Colby Covington, it’s a big deal,” White said about Buckley’s performance. “Love him or hate him, [Colby Covington is] a dog, f*cking tough as nails. Took big shots to the body tonight. Took big shots to the head that would have knocked a lot of people out. Colby’s durable and tough but when you get cut, anything can happen.”
