Joaquin Buckley speeds up reaction to TKO over Colby Covington at UFC Tampa in rare 60-second post-fight press conference

On December 15, 2024By Littum

Joaquin ‘New Mansa’ Buckley delivered the best performance of his career last night, with his main event bout against Colby Covington ending in a bloody medical stoppage late in the third.

St. Louis standout must have been overdue for some exciting postgame plans; dives from the UFC Tampa press conference after just 60 seconds — all the time he needed to get his points across.

Joaquin Buckley reacts after a TKO win against Colby Covington in a welterweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at Amalie Arena on Dec... — Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Joaquin Buckley speedrunner UFC Tampa press conference after the fight

2024 has ended with one of the best main events of the year; with Joaquin Buckley getting the TKO victory over Colby Covington after ‘Chaos’ suffered a nasty cut to his eyelid.

“My first main event was a huge success, I feel like the whole card was very successful,” Buckley said at the UFC Tampa post-fight press conferencewith seven of the 13 fights ending in KO/TKO.

“I feel like my fight, you know, shouldn’t have been stopped, but you know, it is what it is… You have to protect the fighters.”

Joaquin Buckley entered UFC Tampa ranked #9 ranked welterweight in the world and is undoubtedly now in the title conversation after a brutal victory over the #6 former interim champion.

“I feel like 2025 is definitely (going to be) my year and we’re definitely taking over… That being said, (I’m on) a six-fight winning streak, I’ve got eight knockouts in the UFC, and I feel that I have done enough to put myself in position to once again fight for that title.

“Even though I know Shavkat is next, blessed with that fight, but if something happens where either Shavkat or Belal doesn’t step up in the Octagon; I am willing to meet them.”

Belal Muhammad and Shavkat Rakhmonov are expected to square off in early 2025, following the undefeated Kazakh’s decision victory over Ian Machado Garry at UFC 310.

Buckley can’t wait for the title shot to come his way and apparently couldn’t wait any longer to leave the arena – signing off after just 60 seconds: “At the end of the day, we’re going to keep this nice and short bridge, I definitely looking to take that man of the throne, 2025 bro – we out please.”

Dana White reacts to Joaquin Buckley’s KO win over Colby Covington

Fortunately, the UFC boss was able to stick around for a bit longer than ‘New Mansa’, although Dana White suggested that while Covington’s cut was bad, it might not be bad enough to stop the fight at other more lenient venues.

“I was curious to see how it would go if it went five rounds, no doubt it was a bad cut, but that fight won’t be stopped in Vegas – that fight will go on in Vegas, 100% .”

While it sounded like White personally disagreed with stopping the action, he admitted the win is still hugely impressive from Buckley’s perspective.

“Yeah, look, you go in there and beat Colby Covington, that’s a big deal. Love him or hate him, the guy’s a dog, tough as nails, took big shots to the body, big shots to the head that would have hit a lot of people out.

“Colby is durable and tough, but when you get cut, anything can happen.”