The UFC rolled into Tampa Bay, Florida, for the final occasion of the calendar 12 months, headlined by Colby Covington and Joaquin Buckley. Supported by a stacked undercard with prospects and veterans that had a number of fights delivered to shut out one other unforgettable 12 months for the premier promotion of blended martial arts.
A revitalized Joaquin Buckley headed into the principle occasion, ranked at quantity 9 in opposition to quantity 6, Colby Covington, and took his present win streak to 6 as he continues to impress in his new residence at 170lbs. Buckley pushed the tempo and managed the gap from the start. Nonetheless, a minimize to Covington’s proper eye within the first spherical seemingly slowed the hometown fighter down, forcing him to try takedowns to attempt to put on out the extra bodily match Buckley.
Buckley went in for the kill with little success, and the stress was an excessive amount of to deal with. Extra important strikes landed cleanly, and the minimize opened up much more, forcing the physician to cease in spherical three. This dominant efficiency proves he shall be a real contender for a title alternative. ‘New Mensa appeared very spectacular in opposition to a former interim welterweight champion, which is able to now open the door to a battle with a higher-ranked opponent.
Veteran Johnson Stuns Azaitar & Australian Prospect Stirling Shines.
Thirty-eight-year-old Michael Johnson rolled again the years with a surprising KO over German prospect Ottman Azaitar, who will reportedly be minimize from the UFC after being knocked out within the first spherical for the third time. Johnson made it two from two in 2024 and took his win tally to fifteen since arriving within the group in 2010 after competing within the Final Fighter Sequence.
Australian prospect Navajo Stirling introduced himself to the UFC followers in Florida with a dominant efficiency over Englishman Tuco Tokkos. Taking his document to 6-0 and having the gang on his facet in a stylistically tough match-up in the end gave him the fitting check on his debut. It was a stable first outing and one to observe at mild heavyweight in 2025.
Davey Grant Returns After Profession-Threatening Damage
After a career-threatening damage, Englishman Davey Grant returned with a unanimous resolution win over Ramon Taveras. Sharp work from one other UFC veteran on the cardboard who made his debut in 2013 and presently has a 7-6 document, with greater than a kind of losses coming from razor-thin spit choices. Fortunately, his surgical procedure in March was successful and after a prolonged rehabilitation program that included help from the UFC Efficiency Institute and Las Vegas fitness center Syndicate MMA, in addition to his residence staff at SBG Bishop Auckland, he returned in the absolute best method he may of imagined by the use of fifteen minutes work and being again within the win column.
Full Undercard Outcomes
J. Buckley def C. Covington KO/TKO, 4:42 R3
W Cub Swanson def B. Quarantillo KO/TKO, 1:36 R3
W Manel Kape def Bruno Silva KO/TKO, 1:57 R3
W Dustin Jacoby def Vitor Petrino KO/TKO, 3:44 R3
W Daniel Marcos def Adrian Yanez
W N. Stirling def Tuco Tokkos
W M. Johnson def Ottman Azaitar KO/TKO, 2:03 R2
W Joel Alvarez def Drakkar Klose KO/TKO, 2:48 R1
W Sean Woodson def F. Padilla KO/TKO, 4:58 R1
W Felipe Lima def Miles Johns
W M. Maverick def J. Horth
W Davey Grant def Ramon Taveras
W P. Rodriguez def J. Knutsson
