Belal Muhammad Enjoys Covington’s UFC Tampa Defeat
Joaquin Buckley defeated Colby Covington by doctor-stoppage TKO in the main event of Tampa event on Dec. 14, 2024. The ringside physician stopped the fight at 4:42 of Round 3 after a cut above Covington’s right eye affected his vision.
Belal Muhammad, then the welterweight champion, reacted the next day. He wrote on social media that Covington would have excuses, adding: “he just sucks.” The comment was reported by MMA Fighting.
In a later interview with MMA on SiriusXM, Muhammad said he had hoped the doctor would allow the bout to continue longer. He also criticized Covington’s performance and said he did not think Covington could beat anyone in the top 10. Sportskeeda reported the interview.
Covington’s loss to Buckley was his second consecutive defeat, following a unanimous-decision loss to Leon Edwards in December 2023. The official event results list Buckley’s win and the stoppage time.
Buckley’s victory also completed a strong competitive year. He had already defeated Vicente Luque, Nursulton Ruziboev and Stephen Thompson in 2024 before meeting Covington. Three of those four wins came by knockout or technical knockout, giving the Tampa result significance beyond the reactions it generated online. UFC’s year-end fighter review highlighted that sequence.
Muhammad’s remarks reflected his personal assessment of a divisional rival. They were separate from the official outcome, which was a medical stoppage during the third round rather than a judges’ decision. That distinction matters when assessing the criticism: the result established Buckley as the winner, while Muhammad’s comments added an outspoken champion’s interpretation of Covington’s performance and prospects.
For the welterweight division at the end of 2024, the event paired two different trajectories. Buckley closed the year with another notable win, while Covington returned from a year away and suffered a second successive defeat. Those circumstances explain why the main event drew attention from Muhammad and other fighters with an interest in the division.
