UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Buckley official results

One-time interim welterweight titleholder Colby Covington and red-hot rising contender Joaquin Buckley were tasked with the final main event assignment of 2024 as the pair faced off at a UFC Fight Night in Tampa, Fla.

The 13-bout card took place at Amalie Arena and also featured a featherweight co-main event between Billy Quarantillo and longtime fan favourite Cub Swanson, plus lightning-quick flyweight standouts Manel Kape and Bruno Silva among other reputable finishers.

Below are the official results from UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Buckley…

MAIN CARD

Joaquin Buckley def. Colby Covington by technical knockout (doctor’s stoppage due to cut) at 4:42 of Round 3

Accompanied by Hulk Hogan and Chael Sonnen on his walk to the cage, Covington returned to action for the first time in 12 months and was quickly reminded what can happen in the Octagon. Covington had his right eyelid cut open by a glancing punch from Buckley early in the opening round and it began bothering the former interim titleholder immediately.

Buckley bloodied Covington more and more as the fight progressed as he out-landed Covington in each round. Late in the third, the referee halted the action, brought in the cageside doctor who said “He’s going to lose his eyelid” if the cut kept getting worse, so the fight was called off. It was a great performance from Buckley as he extended his winning streak to six in a row since dropping to the welterweight division.

Cub Swanson def. Billy Quarantillo by knockout at 1:36 of Round 3

You wouldn’t know Swanson is 41 watching his 145-pound bout with Quarantillo. The UFC Hall of Famer (for his classic UFC 206 fight with Doo Ho Choi) landed more than 100 strikes, including a huge knockout shot in the final round.

Manel Kape def. Bruno Silva by technical knockout at 1:57 of Round 3

Kape started this flyweight bout by peppering Silva with fast, crisp strikes while overcoming two low blows in the opening round. Kape went down again in the second after a third low kick to the groin from Silva, who was deducted a point for the foul. Kape resumed putting on a striking clinic and eventually found a finish in the third by overwhelming Silva.

Dustin Jacoby def. Vitor Petrino by knockout at 3:43 of Round 3

The hard-hitting 205-pounders had similar game plans but neither could find the homerun shot in the first two rounds. Eventually, Jacoby did find the button and landed a textbook right hand that put Petrino out cold. UFC president Dana White was cageside and indicated to Jacoby he’d be receiving a performance bonus for the highlight finish.

Daniel Marcos def. Adrian Yanez by split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)

It was close but Marcos remained undefeated, improving to 17-0, after winning on two of three judges’ scorecards. He called out Hall of Famer Jose Aldo after his victory.

Navajo Stirling def. Tuco Tokkos by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Stirling earned a UFC contract earlier this year with a big finish on the Contender Series and had a successful debut with a workmanlike effort Saturday. His cardio and takedown defence were tested by Tokkos and he remained undefeated as a pro after 15 minutes, improving to 6-0.

PRELIMINARY CARD

Michael Johnson def. Ottman Azaitar by knockout at 2:03 of Round 1

Michael Johnson did his best to toss his name into the hat for knockout out the year before the calendar flipped, using a massive right hand to put Azaitar to sleep in the second round. Johnson went 2-0 in 2024 at age 38.

Joel Alvarez def. Drakkar Klose by knockout at 2:48 of Round 1

Spain’s Alvarez continues to be a problem at lightweight, knocking out Klose in less than three minutes. Alvarez stunned Klose with a left hand and used a follow-up flying knee to close the show midway through the opening round.

Sean Woodson def. Fernando Padilla by technical knockout at 4:58 of Round 1

It took him a few minutes to find his rhythm but once he did he turned on the heat. Woodson found the mark with his boxing late in the opening round and put Padilla away with a beautiful boxing combination.

Felipe Lima def. Miles Johns by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Johns was visibly frustrated at times during this featherweight contest and looked like he wanted to stand in the middle of the cage and brawl but Lima mixed up his attacks and had an intelligent game plan en route to winning all three rounds.

Miranda Maverick def. Jamey-Lyn Horth by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Maverick closed out a 3-0 campaign with another unanimous decision win to extend her streak to four overall, while Canada’s Horth fell to 2-2 in the UFC with alternating wins and losses since her debut last year.

Davey Grant def. Ramon Taveras by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

Age continues to be just a number for Grant as the 38-year-old bantamweight just won his third fight in his past four outing. Grant was the more aggressive, versatile and effective striker throughout the 15-minute bout. Taveras overcame an inadvertent low blow in the opening round.

Piera Rodriguez def. Josefine Knutsson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Venezuela’s Rodriguez started strong and was unrelentless throughout the 15-minute strawweight bout as she handed Sweden’s Knutsson her first pro loss, sweeping the scorecards.