Tag: Joaquin Buckley

Ian Machado Garry rooting for Joaquin Buckley to beat ‘b*tch’ Colby Covington at UFC on ESPN 63

Ian Machado Garry went off on Colby Covington after their fight didn’t materialize.

[autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] went off on [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] after their fight didn’t materialize.

Machado Garry (15-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) spent months campaigning to fight Covington, accusing him for turning down a bout offer on multiple occasions. Machado Garry wound up getting booked against [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] in the UFC on ESPN 63 headliner on Dec. 14 from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla..

However, when welterweight champion Belal Muhammad was forced out of his title defense against Shavkat Rakhmonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) Dec. 7 at UFC 310, the promotion opted to pull Machado Garry out of his fight with Buckley, and schedule him against Rakhmonov.

Then in came Covington (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC), who stepped in against Buckley (20-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC), which Machado Garry finds comical.

“He’s been ducking me for f*cking 7-8 months,” Machado Garry said on Instagram. “I signed for the baddest man in the division and this guy comes out of the shadows. He is a p*ssy, he’s a b*tch, and one day I will get my hands on him.”

Machado Garry sent his support to Buckley, hoping that the knockout artist is able to take out Covington.

“Joaquin Buckley, I am behind you 100 percent of the way,” Machado Garry added. “Go out and put that man to sleep. Please and thank you. Do it for me because he’s not able to do it against me.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 63.

Colby Covington vs. Joaquin Buckley: Odds and what to know ahead of UFC Tampa headliner

The oddsmakers believe Colby Covington will lose to the streaking Joaquin Buckley in the UFC on ESPN 63 main event.

[autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] will make a surprising short-notice return to the octagon after one year away when he steps into the UFC on ESPN 63 headliner with [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag], who is unbeaten since dropping to welterweight.

Colby Covington vs. Joaquin Buckley preview

Covington (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) hasn’t seen action since December 2023 when he suffered a unanimous decision loss to then-champion Leon Edwards at UFC 296. The defeated dropped “Chaos” to 0-3 in undisputed UFC title fights, and the matchup with Buckley will give him a chance to register his first win over an active member of the UFC roster.

Looking to halt the brash surging contender will be a powerhouse player in Buckley (21-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC), who has put in solid work during his 4-0 run at 170 pounds, which includes stoppages of former title challenger Stephen Thompson and longtime contender Vicente Luque.

Colby Covington vs. Joaquin Buckley odds

DraftKings released the opening odds, in which Buckley is a +145 betting favorite over Covington, who is a -175 underdog.

How to watch Colby Covington vs. Joaquin Buckley at UFC on ESPN 63

  • When: December 14, 2024
  • Where: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Fla.
  • Broadcast/streaming: ESPN2, ESPN+

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 63.

Henry Cejudo sees Joaquin Buckley stopping Colby Covington at UFC on ESPN 63

Henry Cejudo thinks Colby Covington will struggle against Joaquin Buckley at UFC on ESPN 63.

[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] will struggle against [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag].

Covington (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) stepped in to face rising welterweight contender Buckley (20-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) in the UFC on ESPN 63 headliner Dec. 14 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla.

Covington has split his past six appearances, but his setbacks have come in title fights against Kamaru Usman twice, and most recently Leon Edwards. Cejudo doesn’t see Covington posing any threats to Buckley.

“The style that Colby Covington is doing is so predictable now,” Cejudo said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Kamaru Usman. “The fact that they see him lose time and time again, whether it’s with Leon Edwards or yourself (Usman), it’s there. Once you stop Colby’s takedowns, things will fall into place.

“Look at how Joaquin covers distance, bro. Double feints, dipping in to eventually stop a dude like ‘Wonderboy.’ So, I’m high on this kid. This kid is dangerous. I can see Colby Covington losing via stoppage to a guy like Joaquin Buckley, and I truly do believe that.”

Since dropping back down to 170 pounds, Buckley has won five straight, most recently knocking out former title challenger Stephen Thompson at UFC 307 in October. Meanwhile, Covington hasn’t competed since a unanimous decision loss to Edwards in their title fight at UFC 296 last December.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 63.

Analyzing UFC welterweight shake up: Rakhmonov vs. Machado Garry, Covington vs. Buckley

Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Ian Machado Garry and Colby Covington vs. Joaquin Buckley? We discuss these UFC matchups on “Spinning Back Clique.”

A lot is going on in the UFC’s welterweight division.

With UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] withdrawing from his first title defense at UFC 310 due to injury, the promotion was forced to make some big changes.

These changes were two important bookings: [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] was pulled from his fight against [autotag] Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] on Dec. 14, and matched up with [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag], who was supposed to challenge Muhammad. With Machado Garry out, Buckley was given former title challenger [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] for the Dec. 14 Fight Night in Tampa, Fla.

Were these the matchups the UFC welterweight division needed? Which fighters will come out victorious?

MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Mike Bohn, Danny Segura and host Gorgeous George discuss the pair of key welterweight bouts going down next month.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube or in podcast form.

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Colby Covington resurfaces, steps into UFC Tampa main event

Guess who’s back? That’s Colby Covington’s music.

[autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] said he was going to call Hunter Campbell on Monday to ask for a fight against [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag].

It appears the promotion had other plans. Instead, Covington (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) will face [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] (20-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) in a five-round welterweight UFC on ESPN 63 headliner Dec. 14 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., promotion CEO Dana White announced Saturday.

Covington, 36, replaces [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag], who slides back a week to face Rakhmonov after champion Belal Muhammad pulled out. Covington most recently competed in a failed title bid vs. Leon Edwards in December. He lost by unanimous decision. It was the third time Covington had challenged for the title and came up short. He’s 1-2 in his most recent three.

Buckley, 30, seeks his sixth-straight victory in what will be his first promotional main event. He most recently competed in October when he knocked out Stephen Thompson.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DCa5-wmxZ_U/

With the addition, the UFC on ESPN 63 lineup includes:

  • Joaquin Buckley vs. Colby Covington
  • Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas
  • Dustin Jacoby vs. Vitor Petrino
  • Jamey-Lyn Horth vs. Miranda Maverick
  • Joel Alvarez vs. Drakkar Klose
  • Josefine Knutsson vs. Piera Rodriguez
  • Navajo Stirling vs. Tuco Tokkos
  • Davey Grant vs. Ramon Taveras
  • Manel Kape vs. Bruno Silva
  • Ottman Azaitar vs. Michael Johnson
  • Daniel Marcos vs. Adrian Yanez
  • Fernando Padilla vs. Sean Woodson
  • Miles Johns vs. Felipe Lima

UFC news reaction: Holloway moves to 155, Machado Garry vs. Buckley, de Randamie retires, more

On the latest episode of “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel reacts to Max Holloway moving back to 155, Ian Machado Garry vs. Joaquin Buckley booking, and more.

Last week’s MMA news cycle left plenty to digest.

From [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag]’s announcement of moving back up to lightweight, to the welterweight booking between [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag], and the retirement of former UFC women’s featherweight champion [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag], a lot went down. Additionally, the UFC revealed the details for the new, upcoming season of “The Ultimate Fighter.”

All this news left many questions: Is Holloway making the right call by leaving featherweight? What’s at stake in the Garry Machado vs. Buckley matchup in Tampa, Fla.? What kind of legacy does de Randamie leave behind?

MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King, Danny Segura and host Gorgeous “George” discuss and react to the latest news in the world of MMA.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.

https://youtube.com/live/G_MvMlbjAX0

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Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: Brandon Moreno’s return, Belal Muhammad out of UFC 310, Max Holloway’s move

On “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel discusses Brandon Moreno’s return, Belal Muhammad’s UFC 310 withdrawal and much more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King and Danny Segura will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:

  • UFC Fight Night 246 went down Saturday in Canada and left us with two key results at men’s and women’s flyweight. In the main event, former champion [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] successfully returned to action after taking a break from the sport by dominating [autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag] in a unanimous decision win. Also, [autotag]Erin Blanchfield[/autotag] outpointed [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] in a hard-fought decision to cement herself as a top title contender. What happens next? We discuss.
  • Bad news. UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] suffered a foot injury and was forced out of his title bout against [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag] in the main event of UFC 310. This leaves a big hole to fill since the bout was scheduled to headline the final pay-per-view of the year. Should the UFC implement an interim title? If so, who should fight for it? We react to Muhammad’s injury and how it impacts both UFC 310 and the welterweight division.  
  • A lot of news went down this past week, including fight bookings and retirements. Former UFC champion [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag] announced her retirement from the sport; the UFC booked a key welterweight bout between [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] and [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] for December; and featherweight all-time great [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] revealed he is moving back up to lightweight. We analyze those headlines and more.
  • We close out the show by previewing Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 247 event in Las Vegas. We break down the welterweight bout between [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] and rising contender [autotag]Carlos Prates[/autotag] headlining the card, along with other standout bouts.

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Ian Machado Garry vs. Joaquin Buckley to headline UFC on ESPN 63 in Tampa

A showdown of top-10 welterweights will close out 2024 in the UFC.

A showdown of top-10 welterweights will close out 2024 in the UFC when [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] takes on [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag].

The fight is set to headline the promotion’s final event of the year, UFC on ESPN 63, on Dec. 14 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., the UFC announced Friday on social media.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DB18bxuzzkz

Machado Garry (15-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC), No. 7 in the official UFC rankings at 170 pounds, will look for his third win of 2024 as he tries to maintain his perfect record. In 2024, Machado Garry has beaten Geoff Neal by split decision at UFC 298 and Michael Page by unanimous decision at UFC 303.

Buckley (20-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC), who’s ranked No. 9, will try for his fourth victory of 2024 as he looks to continue climbing the ranks of the division since he moved back down from welterweight in May 2023. Buckley’s wins in 2024 include two longtime staples of the division, Vicente Luque by TKO and most recently a knockout of Stephen Thompson.

With the addition, here’s the current UFC on ESPN 63 lineup:

  • Ian Machado Garry vs. Joaquin Buckley
  • Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas
  • Dustin Jacoby vs. Vitor Petrino
  • Tracy Cortez vs. Miranda Maverick
  • Josefine Knutsson vs. Piera Rodriguez
  • Navajo Stirling vs. Tuco Tokkos
  • Davey Grant vs. Ramon Taveras
  • Manel Kape vs. Bruno Silva
  • Ottman Azaitar vs. Michael Johnson
  • Daniel Marcos vs. Adrian Yanez

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 63.

Joaquin Buckley makes case to fight Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 over Ian Machado Garry: ‘People want to see knockouts’

With champ Belal Muhammad injured, Joaquin Buckley makes his case to fill in vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov over Ian Machado Garry.

[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] has never been one to hold his tongue, and he’s making sure his name is in the mix as a potential opponent for Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310.

Originally, UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad was to face the undefeated Rakhmonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in the main event on Dec. 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. However, a toe injury has forced Muhammad out of the pay-per-view date.

While the promotion has not yet announced a plan to replace the fight, rumors have begun flying, including the thought that an interim title could be created.

Ian Machado Garry has been a popular name in discussion, but Buckley (20-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) believes he has a solid case to be inserted into the potential fight at UFC 310.

“Hey look, I’ma let you finish, but I got something to say,” Buckley started on an Instagram video, cutting in on a post-fight news conference video of Machado Garry talking about facing Rakhmonov. “Nobody want to see that fight. People want to see knockouts. People want to see finishes, and that’s exactly what we finna bring.

“Me vs. Shavkat. He got 18 finishes, 10 subs, eight knockouts. And your boy, I got 14 knockouts, and I just knocked out my last two ranked opponents. So what you think I’m finna to do to this dude?”

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBzWFHDS1C7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Buckley is currently running hot on a five-fight winning streak, undefeated since moving to welterweight last May. Machado Garry (15-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) is undefeated in his entire pro career, although he has fewer knockout victories than Buckley.

“Hey UFC, this is the fight that y’all got to make,” Buckley said. “Like I told y’all, I’m coming to take the throne, and I ain’t playing.”

In his last outing at UFC 307, “New Mansa” knocked out former title challenger Stephen Thompson in the third round. During his post-fight interview, he called out former champion Kamaru Usman.

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Joaquin Buckley responds to Kamaru Usman’s line-cutting attempt: ‘Sh*t shouldn’t be given to you’

Joaquin Buckley thinks Kamaru Usman should have to work his way back up to the title picture.

[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] should have to work his way back up to the title picture.

Buckley (21-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) called out Usman after knocking out former title challenger Stephen Thompson less than two weeks ago at UFC 307. Buckley was dismissed by Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC), who told him to get in line.

Usman was trading barbs with welterweight champion Belal Muhammad, but with the former champion being on a three-fight losing skid, Buckley says fighting him in a No. 1 contender bout makes sense.

“That’s the funny thing: Who’s in line?” Buckley said in an interview with Parry Punch. “The crazy part about Belal was, like, Usman doesn’t even deserve a title shot. Plus, he said Shavkat is an easier fight than Usman, and that’s what I believe that the UFC is going to make, the Shavkat vs. Belal. Usman, nobody calls him out, that’s still a great name. The last fight he had was with Khamzat (Chimaev), so it’s been a whole year. Come and get this work. Come and get paid at least.”

Muhammad did end up getting booked against Shavkat Rakhmonov for his first title defense, which headlines UFC 310 on Dec. 7 in Las Vegas. Buckley thinks Usman needs at least one win before fighting for the title again.

“He’s just waiting on the opportunity to have that big fight, which is fighting for a title. But my thing is, that sh*t shouldn’t be given to you,” Buckley said. “You should work for that.

“Just because you’ve been a former champion, just because you held the belt for a good amount of time, doesn’t give you the right to come back and just be like, ‘Aight, I get to fight for the belt again.’ You’re still not accounting those three losses you done had. So prove to the world that you still have the ability to fight for a belt.”

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