Belal Muhammad gives detailed reaction to Colby Covington's UFC Tampa loss: "I was just hoping the doctor would let it go a little bit more"
Belal Muhammad has critiqued Colby Covington's performance at UFC Tampa this past weekend. Muhammad enjoyed watching Covington lose, adding that he hoped the doctor would have allowed the fight to continue a bit longer.
Covington stepped in on short notice to face Joaquin Buckley this past weekend at UFC Tampa. 'Chaos' sustained quite a bit of damage in the bout, most notably a deep cut above his right eye, which was clearly affecting the former interim champion's vision. This compelled the cage-side doctor to recommend a stoppage, prompting referee Dan Miragliotta to stop the action and declare Buckley the victor via TKO.
In a recent interview with MMA Today, Muhammad shared his take on the Covington vs. Buckley matchup. 'Remember the Name' claimed that it "felt so good" to see the polarizing 170-pounder bleed and that he doesn't belong in the top 10.
Poking fun at Covington's performance, walkout, and overall standing in the division, the welterweight champion said:
''It felt so good to watch him [Covington] bleed. I was just hoping the doctor would let it go a little bit more because now you open the door for Colby to make excuses. Bro, you're literally getting pieced up in every way. You're losing the grappling, you're losing the striking, you're losing the kickboxing, you even lost the walkout... There are better athletes now, there are better guys now that are seeing all this stuff... I think they will realize that [Covington] does suck, he doesn't belong in the top 5 in the UFC. I don't think he'll beat anybody in the top 10 in the UFC.''
Check out Belal Muhammad's comments below (via MMA on SiriusXM's X post):
Dana White commends Colby Covington's toughness
Colby Covington's desire to return to the title contention was derailed at UFC Tampa, but UFC CEO Dana White had some words of encouragement for him after the bout.
At the post-fight press conference, White revealed how impressed he was by Covington's resilience, having taken many thunderous shots from Joaquin Buckley in the final UFC bout of 2024.
White said:
''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.” [H/t: MMA Fighting]
Watch the full presser below:
Here's more on Colby Covington's downfall: