Cormier Warns Covington About Villain Act After Loss
Daniel Cormier questioned how Colby Covington would handle the backlash surrounding his public persona after losing to Joaquin Buckley on December 14, 2024. The Tampa main event ended by doctor’s stoppage at 4:42 of the third round.
Buckley’s victory intensified the attention
The contest at Amalie Arena gave Covington consecutive defeats following his unsuccessful challenge against Leon Edwards at UFC 296 in December 2023. A cut around Covington’s right eye brought the Buckley fight to an end.
In comments to MMA Junkie, Cormier said a confrontational promotional character becomes harder to sustain when victories stop arriving. He thought the reaction from opponents and critics would become part of Covington’s challenge in rebuilding.
Cormier still saw a path to another win
Cormier did not rule out another UFC victory for the former interim champion. His concern centered on how Covington would respond to the hostility generated by the character he had cultivated.
The former two-division champion also discussed the issue on his own video channel, linking Covington’s outspoken approach with the public response to the Tampa result.
The criticism followed a long championship-level run
Covington had won the interim welterweight title by defeating Rafael dos Anjos over five rounds at UFC 225 in June 2018. He later challenged Kamaru Usman twice for the undisputed belt.
His most recent victory before Tampa came against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272 in March 2022. That five-round unanimous decision remained a major result on his record as Buckley added another setback to his later UFC run.
Sources
- MMA Junkie: Cormier’s analysis and the cut stoppage
- Daniel Cormier: reaction to Covington’s public persona after Tampa
- UFC: Tampa date, venue and official stoppage
- UFC: interim championship and later bout history
