Buckley’s Six-Fight Welterweight Run Ends in Tampa
Joaquin Buckley closed 2024 with a sixth straight win since moving to welterweight, stopping Colby Covington by doctor-stoppage TKO at 4:42 of round three in Tampa on December 14. It was Buckley’s fourth victory of the year.
The clip above shows Buckley speaking with MMA Junkie and other reporters after the win. He left the interview after answering questions; the footage is a post-fight media scrum, not a fight replay.
In his official post-fight interview, Buckley called out former champion Kamaru Usman. The win strengthened his case for a place in the title conversation, though it did not secure a title bout. Earlier in 2024, Buckley had scored stoppage wins over Vicente Luque and Stephen Thompson.
Sources: official event results · Buckley’s official post-fight interview · fight-week profile before the bout
The Six-Fight Welterweight Run
The streak began in 2023 with a stoppage of Andre Fialho and a unanimous-decision win over Alex Morono. Buckley followed those results by defeating Luque in March 2024, then outpointing Nursulton Ruziboev in St. Louis that May. Wins over Thompson and Covington completed the six-fight sequence and gave him four victories during the 2024 calendar year.
The different results show why the run attracted attention. Buckley did not rely exclusively on quick knockouts: he completed three rounds against both Morono and Ruziboev, while producing stoppages against other established opponents. The Tampa main event was the culmination of that sustained success, rather than an isolated high-profile victory.
What Happened After the Usman Callout
Buckley subsequently did face Usman, meeting the former welterweight champion on June 14, 2025. Usman won a five-round unanimous decision, ending Buckley’s winning sequence. That later result places the Tampa interview in its proper moment: Buckley was celebrating a strong 2024 campaign and asking for the next major challenge, which eventually materialized the following year.
Career reference: Buckley’s official UFC record.
