UFC CEO Dana White has wrapped up another packed year of action with Saturday night’s UFC Tampa. Once the lights went down in Amalie Arena in St. Petersburg, FL after the card, the CEO of MMA‘s No. 1 promotion headed backstage to meet with the assembled media for the final post-fight press junket before a three-week hiatus for the festive season.
During the UFC Tampa main event, No. 6 contender Colby Covington (17-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC) made his 17th walk to the famous Octagon, this time eschewing his usual walkout music, Kurt Angle’s WWE theme, Medal, in favor of Hulk Hogan’s entrance track, Real American. Hogan accompanied Covington for his entrance.
Alongside the sports entertainment icon was MMA legend Chael Sonnen, the latter serving as Covington’s cornerman for the contest against No. 9 contender Joaquin Buckley ( at the Tampa Bay Lightning’s home rink.
Covington Suffers Cut and Dana White Responds
Before the third round of a scheduled five in the headlining affair of the evening in St. Pete, the fight doctor cautioned Colby Covington that she would end the bout if a cut on his right eyelid worsened to the point where his vision was compromised.
Joaquin Buckley dropped “Chaos” during the third round of the contest, and upon the fight returning to the feet, referee Dan Miragliotta paused the action to permit the fight doctor to take a look at the cut. True to her word, she suggested that Miragliotta wave off the contest.
Due to a Doctor's Stoppage Joaquin Buckley wins by TKO.#UFCTampa pic.twitter.com/rj6iEjNFkK
— UFC (@ufc) December 15, 2024
During his press conference, Dana White mentioned that Colby Covington took the result of the last main event in the UFC in the old year in stride.
“Listen, Colby’s an older guy that fights every once in a while,” Dana White began. He’s always durable and always tough. I also feel like Colby wasn’t too pissed that fight wasn’t stopped by the cut. It was definitely bothering him.”
Dana White’s Comments Continued
“It was definitely bothering him,” White resumed, “and literally, as soon as the corner would fix it, he’s waiting to walk back out and rips it open again and makes it start bleeding again, so, that alone tells you that the cut was bothering him big-time.”
Had the main event between Covington and Buckley not taken place in Florida, Dana White believes that the fight doctor wouldn’t have been called into examine the former’s cut.
“[There’s] no doubt that it was a bad cut, but that fight doesn’t get stopped in Vegas,” he said. “That fight keeps going in Vegas, 100 percent.”
Sonnen Was Ready to Rescue Covington From Further Damage
As mentioned earlier, Chael Sonnen was Colby Covington’s cornerman during Saturday evening’s affair against Joaquin Buckley inside Amalie Arena. Earlier Sunday, Sonnen took to his YouTube channel to discuss the fight from his perspective.
“We knew going into the fight [that] we’re dealing with a very good guy,” Sonnen began. “We weren’t overlooking Buckley, I’m just sharing for you he turned out to be better. He turned out to be more powerful, he turned out to be faster. He turned out to push a little harder in certain situations, smart guy, too. Colby [was] coming in for takedowns, but Buckley knew every time Colby was thinking takedowns, somehow Buckley knew.”
Later on in the video, Sonnen revealed that he was planning on saving “Chaos” from a continued onslaught against Buckley and make Dana White’s remarks from the press conference irrelevant in the process.
“Colby looked so dog-tough,” he continued. “Buckley did, too. Colby was getting hit on his feet with everything you could do. I mean, he’s busted open so bad, the doctor has to look at it three times. Twice, he stops the action to let it keep going, the third time, he said ‘Man, we can’t go anymore.’ I was going to stop the fight. I already grabbed the towel. When the doctor came in for the third time and I’m watching that blood, it’s not stopping and it is going into the eye, and that’s the only thing you’re really looking for.”
Final Thoughts
Dana White mentioned in his post-fight presser that Colby Covington wasn’t that angry over his fight against Buckley getting halted amid that cut on his eyelid over the weekend. His explosive persona that’s become part and parcel of the past was missing in action at the ceremonial weigh-ins on Friday.
Could this be the start of a new Colby Covington? Only time will tell.
