Joaquin Buckley believes Colby Covington is scared entering their UFC Tampa clash: “He doesn’t want to act like the character”
Colby Covington will return to action against Joaquin Buckley at UFC Tampa after nearly a full year since his previous appearance in the octagon. 'Chaos' last faced off against Leon Edwards at UFC 296 and will headline the promotion's final event of 2024 against a surging welterweight contender in Buckley.
The pair shared their final face-off on Friday (Dec. 13) ahead of fight night, with 'New Mansa' noting that his opponent looked scared while on stage facing off. Covington is one of MMA's most provocative fighters, but Buckley stated that none of that bravado was noticeable when they came face-to-face.
The No.9-ranked welterweight contender was interviewed by ESPN MMA following the ceremonial weigh-ins, where he reflected on his opponent's energy and said this:
"I was just being quick-witted [on stage]. Obviously with Colby being such a character, he didn't pop out today. And I haven't seen him all week. My first indication is when I saw, which Colby am I going to see out there? The character, or a little shy kid. And I saw a little shy kid. I feel like with Colby, he's really scared, he's really nervous. He doesn't want to act like the character because he knows he's got a real threat in front of him."
Check out Joaquin Buckley's comments about Colby Covington below (0:06):
Joaquin Buckley plans on sending Colby Covington to retirement
UFC Tampa will be headlined by a welterweight clash between one of the division's fastest-rising contenders and one of its most notable veterans. Since moving from middleweight to 170 pounds, Buckley has gone 5-0, most recently securing a sensational KO win over Stephen Thompson at UFC 307.
'Chaos', on the other hand, is 2-3 in his last five bouts and will be hoping to bounce back from a defeat in his previous fight against Leon Edwards.
Following yesterday's (Dec. 13) ceremonial weigh-ins, 'New Mansa' was interviewed by Brendan Fitzgerald, where he shared his plans for sending Covington into retirement:
"Look, this dude been quiet, he plays a character, now he wants to be soft with it. So at the end of the day man, we're going to go out in that cage bro, we're going to retire this man and send his a** off to Twitch, let's get it."
Check out Joaquin Buckley's below (24:25):