Chael Sonnen sheds light on his willingness to stop Colby Covington vs. Joaquin Buckley fight at UFC Tampa: "I already grabbed the towel"
Colby Covington returned to the octagon this weekend after nearly a year of inactivity, suffering a third-round TKO loss to Joaquin Buckley in the main event of UFC on ESPN 63 in Tampa. 'Chaos' was behind on the scorecards since the first round and was eventually stopped by the doctor because of a cut on his eyelid.
While there had been some backlash surrounding the doctor's stoppage, Chael Sonnen recently revealed that he was ready to throw the towel in. 'The American Gangster', who cornered Covington during the final UFC clash of 2024, discussed this on his podcast, Beyond The Fight. He said:
"Colby was getting hit on his feet with everything you could do. I mean, he's busted open so bad the doctor has to look at it three times. Twice, he stops the action to let it keep going. The third time he says, 'man, we can't go anymore'. I was going to stop that fight. I already grabbed the towel. When the doctor came in for the third time and I'm watching that blood, it's not stopping and it is going into the eye and that's the only thing you're really looking for."
Sonnen continued:
"When we as fight fans - we as tough guys - think the doctor should have stopped it, what we're talking about it - it doesn't really matter how bad the cut is from our perspective as long as it's not going in the eye. If it's blinding a guy, it doesn't matter if it's a little or it's a lot. If it's in his eye and he can no longer see out of that eye, it's the same thing."
Check out Chael Sonnen's comments on Colby Covington vs. Joaquin Buckley below (starting at the 4:59 mark):
The UFC veteran spoke about how even a small amount of blood in the eye affects the fighter's vision. He noted that if the doctor did not intervene; he would throw the towel in to protect his fighter.
Dana White on Colby Covington vs. Joaquin Buckley result
UFC CEO Dana White was among those who questioned the doctor's stoppage following Colby Covington's third-round TKO loss to Joaquin Buckley. The UFC head honcho met with the media after the bout, sharing that he doesn't believe it would have been stopped if the fight was in Las Vegas.
Speaking at his post-fight press conference, White stated:
"Yeah, I was curious to see how it would go if it went five rounds. You know, if it went later in the rounds. You know, no doubt that was a bad cut, but that fight doesn't get stopped in Vegas. That fight keeps going in Vegas. 100%."
Check out Dana White's comments on the stoppage in Colby Covington vs. Joaquin Buckley below:
Covington was down two rounds on all three judges's scorecards and appeared to be on the verge of losing the third round. Despite White's comments that the bout would have continued in Las Vegas, 'Chaos's' corner saw things differently.