Colby Covington’s eye cut at UFC Tampa was so bad that his longtime friend and cornerman Chell Sonnen called off his fight with Joaquin Buckley unless doctors and referees stopped it first. I was going to.
It was a rough night at the office for Covington, who was beaten for over two rounds in the Octagon while Buckley was in control throughout, but the gash he sustained early in the fight only worsened with each passing minute. Ta. By the time the fight entered the third round, Covington was wearing a crimson mask, but to make matters worse, blood from the cut was pouring into his eyes and even Sonnen felt he had had enough.
“It was so bad that I had to see the doctor three times,” Sonnen said of the fight on his YouTube channel. “Twice he stopped the action and let it continue. The third time he said, “I can’t go anymore.” I was going to stop that fight. I already grabbed a towel. When the doctor came a third time and I was looking at the blood, it wasn’t stopping and was starting to get into my eyes. That’s the only thing you’re really looking for.
“As fans of the game, as tough guys, when we think the doctor should have stopped, we realize that from our perspective, it doesn’t really matter how bad the cut is as long as it’s not visible. I’m talking about it. If it dazzles a man, it doesn’t matter if it’s a little or a lot. It’s all the same if it’s in his eyes and out of his sight. That’s it.”
After the match, Covington barely stayed there to hear the result and stormed out of the Octagon while Buckley began celebrating.
In the post-fight press conference, UFC CEO Dana White said the fight would have been allowed to proceed if it had taken place in Nevada vs. Florida.
While that may be White’s opinion, Sonnen actually disagrees and stands by his decision to call off the fight.
“This was the worst,” Sonnen said of the cut. “I saw this. I literally stood up and could see what the doctors were doing. I said to No. 2 (coach) Charlie, ‘Hand me that towel, this is I’ll stop it.” I brought it to you because the referee was receiving some criticism. Well, to be fair here, I saw what they saw. ”
Although the fight ended in a cut, Sonnen still praised Covington’s toughness as he continued to hit big, heavy shots against a real powerhouse in Buckley.
Covington struggled to mount any offense other than takedowns in the second round, but that didn’t give him much of an advantage as he remained patient until Buckley got back to his feet.
Still, Sonnen is hoping things play out a little differently given Covington’s conditioning and ability to push him at a pace that most opponents can’t match.
“I think we lost both rounds until the third round,” Sonnen said. “But then I was told one of the judges had given it a 1-1 decision. I’m not here to relive it, I just felt the tide was turning. Back Lee was a real sport in that regard. He said, “Hey, I was feeling a little weak,” and it’s important that Buckley understands that.
“Because Buckley hasn’t done anything wrong. He just has to learn how to stretch. If you’re going to fight like this, you’ve done a very good job with the media. He’s going to be headlining the event, which means he’ll be in a five-round club and it’s good for Buckley to see where that energy goes.”
The scorecard released after the fight actually showed Covington losing 20-18 across the board, and the third round started out much like the previous two rounds.
Either way, Sonnen praised the heart Covington showed throughout the fight, especially his ability to take Buckley’s best punches without stepping back.
“Colby didn’t even flinch,” Sonnen said. “There was no place for him to flinch. There was never a time for him to back down. There was never a time when he was down, and I would say that even though there were times when he was down. , because it wasn’t due to a punch. There was a punch when he slipped while descending.
“If you look at the grit meter, this was one of Colby’s best matches. If you dig deep, this doesn’t replace a fight with Kamaru Usman, but damn, it’s right up there. . . . You look at his guts, you look at his shots, you look at the damage they did, he didn’t care.”
