Joaquin Buckley cuts up Colby Covington, UFC Tampa main event halted due to gruesome cut

Joaquin Buckley didn’t get the finish he wanted, but he still cut up Colby Covington in dominant fashion to win the UFC Tampa Main Event.

From the first minute to the last, Buckley dominated Covington on the feet, battering the veteran welterweight with devastating combinations throughout. A first-round uppercut actually opened a nasty gash over Covington’s eye that just started bleeding down his face, the cut only getting worse with each punch that landed.

By the time Buckley blasted Covington with shots in the third round, referee Dan Miragliotta was forced to pause the contest to allow the doctor to assess the injury.

“He’s going to lose his eyelid,” the ringside doctor told Miragliotta, who waved off the fight with 4:42 left in the third round.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

It wasn’t an exclamation point that Buckley wanted out of the main event, but there was no doubt he was headed for victory before the doctor saved Covington from further injury.

“I know you want to see a knockout. My bad,” Buckley said apologetically to the crowd.

Regardless of how the fight ended, Buckley proved that he now exists among the elite fighters at 170 pounds, and he used his shutout performance to encourage the crowd to choose his next opponent.

“Who do I want? My fans will pick my opponent,” Buckley said. “I’ll give you three names. Whoever you want to make the most noise for, that’s who I’ll pick for my next opponent.

“First name right here – Leon Edwards? Last name, Kamaru Usman? And the last one: Take the throne from Belal Muhammed? I think it’s Kamaru Usman. Let’s go.”

It was a quick but measured start for Buckley as he started his strikes and began to wear down Covington with some stiff punches early on. Buckley’s power was to keep Covington honest as the former interim welterweight champion was stuck on the back foot for most of the opening round.

Buckley also shut down the takedown attempts along with a well-timed uppercut that opened up a gruesome cut over Covington’s eye, blood seeping down his face. The onslaught continued with Buckley starting to unload on Covington to the head in earnest and then digging to the body with a vicious right hook.

It wasn’t until two minutes into the second round when Covington finally mounted some offense, scoring a takedown on Buckley against the cage. Covington maintained control for a few moments, but Buckley eventually broke free to get back to his feet.

From there, Buckley unloaded a quick double jab that snapped Covington’s head back and seemingly deepened the cut above his eye. Buckley was right out on Covington, who didn’t seem to have an answer for him on the feet.

Between rounds, the cutman tended to Covington’s eye, but the wound was bleeding profusely as the doctor told Miragliotta that he probably shouldn’t let it go much longer with that much damage.

On the restart, Buckley continued to dish out punishment and the blood just poured down Covington’s face. It seemed like Buckley was potentially moments away from a finish, but the referee just couldn’t allow the action to continue without the doctor taking another look at Covington’s broken eye.

It didn’t take long for the doctor to call and Miragliotta stopped the fight, despite Covington’s apparent protest.

The stoppage win moves Buckley to 6-0 since moving up to welterweight, and it’s impossible to deny that he’s moving into title contention with this latest performance.

As for Covington, the runner-up in as many title fights likely falls even further away from the top of the division with this latest setback. He’s now 2-4 in his last six games, and at 36 years old, it’s hard to envision another championship before his career is over.