Colby Covington vs. Joaquin Buckley: Preview, Where to Watch and Betting Odds

Joaquin Buckley takes on former three-time welterweight title challenger Colby Covington in the main event of UFC on ESPN 63 this Saturday night in Tampa, Florida. Joaquin Buckley, a huge favorite in this bout, was originally scheduled to fight Ian Machado Garry on the card before he was pulled to fight Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310. A win for Joaquin Buckley will position him as a top contender for a welterweight title shot. Still, he has to negotiate a path through the former interim champion and make a statement win to gain the attention of the matchmakers.

MMA: UFC Welterweight

Where to Watch: ESPN2/ESPN+

Venue: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida

Date: 15.12.2024 08:30

The American fighter and mainstay of the UFC’s 170-pound class returns to the Octagon one year after a third unsuccessful bid to win the welterweight title after losing to Leon Edwards last December. Covington had lost two earlier bids for welterweight gold against Kamaru Usman, including their 2019 fight that was awarded Fight of the Night. Against Leon Edwards last year ”Chaos” broke his foot in the first round of their five-rounder and lost the fight by unanimous decision. Colby Covington debuted in the UFC in 2014 and won a 9-1 record in his first ten fights, picking up the interim title but was later stripped of the title due to injury. Since his first loss to Usman in 2019, the 36-year-old has slowed down considerably, fighting infrequently.

• Age: 36
• Height: 5’11”
• Reach: 72”
• Weight: 170lbs (77kg)
• Record: 72”

I feel like I’m leapfrogging over Shavkat. I feel like he’s injury-prone, too. I feel like he’s always getting injured, something’s always wrong with him. So, he might not even show up to the fight, and it might just be me and Belal next year.

Joaquin Buckley

The 30-year-old American is on a five-fight winning streak, earning a performance of the night last October with a knockout of Stephen Thompson. The streak has pushed the former Bellator and LFA fighter into the top ten of the UFC welterweight rankings. Made famous for his 2020 knockout of Impa Kasanganay that went viral, “New Mansa” has steadily gone about his business in the UFC and is now within shouting distance of a championship joust. His resume includes wins over Nursulton Ruziboev, Vicente Luque, Alex Moreno, and Albert Duraev.

• Age: 30
• Height: 5’8”
• Reach: 76”
• Weight: 170lbs (77kg)
• Record: 20-6

Colby Covington is a 3.25 underdog on Bet365 which prices a decision for Joaquin Buckley at 2.75 odds. Betway lists the fight to go the distance at 1.75 and under 4.5 at 1.86 odds. On 1xBet, Buckley to win by KO is 2.5 odds with a decision for Covington priced at 5 odds.