Joaquin Buckley: Colby Covington ‘Bigger Fight’ than Ian Machado Garry

Joaquin Buckley believes he's one win away from a title fight.

Colby Covington on UFC Retirement, Says Joaquin Buckley ‘Does Nothing for My Career'

Initially scheduled to face Ian Machado Garry at UFC Tampa, Buckley now enters his first main event against Colby Covington, the former interim champion and three-time title challenger. Last weekend at UFC 310, Garry lost to Shavkat Rakhmonov, Belal Muhammad's next title challenger.

Buckley has won five straight fights in the welterweight division. The St. Louis native doesn't think he's far off from a title shot either, especially after becoming the second man in UFC history to KO Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson just a couple of months ago.

UFC Welterweight Joaquin Buckle — Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Going From Garry To Covington

Yet another title challenger on deck for "New Mansa", Buckley finds Covington to be a bigger fight than his originally booked opponent, Garry.

"Yeah. To a certain degree, he really is [a bigger fight]," Buckley said of Covington in an interview with Inside Fighting's Mike Owens. "He's a higher rank than Ian Garry. I think he's just one number ranked above Ian Garry. He has fought for a title before. So this is a person that is put himself in a position where he was a top ranked contender.

"Did he succeed? Nope. But, he still fought for a title, which a lot of guys can't even say they've done that.

Winning the interim title off of Rafael Dos Anjos years ago, Covington's gone 0-3 in undisputed title fights against then-champs Kamaru Usman (twice) and Leon Edwards, defeating everybody else the UFC has put in front of him since 2016.

Covington, 36, hasn't shown us much activity, however, fighting once a year, leaving many to wonder if he is still as elite as he once was.

Former UFC Interim Welterweight Champion Colby Covingto — Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Buckley Plots Title Shot With Win Over "Still High-Level" Covington

Buckley isn't one to underestimate Covington ahead of his first five-round fight at UFC Tampa but plans on making the former interim champion look like an amateur. After all, the UFC Welterweight Championship is what Buckley is after.

"Put on a performance that I know I can put on Colby Covington. Going out there and dominating Colby Covington, he's still a high-level athlete. He's still a high-level fighter. To go out there and put him in a situation where he looks like an amateur, I think it's gonna make it good for me to be fighting for that belt next," Buckley said.

"A dominant win, a dominant performance is gonna put me in a position to get to that title. The next time I step into that cage again, after the Colby fight, I'm definitely expecting to have some gold around my waist."

It gets better with every single watch 🤯

We will never forget this KO from @Newmansa94! #UFCTampa pic.twitter.com/lplMl2wG27
— UFC (@ufc) December 9, 2024

Colby Covington Brutally Honest on Shavkat Rakhmonov: ‘He Hasn’t Fought Anybody'

Going From Garry To Covington

Buckley Plots Title Shot With Win Over "Still High-Level" Covington

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