Colby Covington vs Joaquin Buckley at UFC on ESPN 63 | Preview & Prediction
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The main event at UFC on ESPN 63 sees Colby Covington return to action after a year out to face the surging Joaqui Buckley who has won his last five fights
Colby Covington vs Joaquin Buckley Facts
When is UFC on ESPN 63? UK – the preliminary card starts at 12:00am on Sunday 15th December 2024, followed by the main card at 3:00am / USA – 8:00pm/10:00pm ET (Saturday) and 5:00pm/7:00pm PT (Saturday)
Where is UFC on ESPN 63? Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC on ESPN 63? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC on ESPN 63
What TV channel is UFC on ESPN 63 on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN+
Where can I stream UFC on ESPN 63? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
For viewers in the United States, UFC on ESPN 63 will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
What time are Colby Covington and Joaquin Buckley expected to walk out? 5:45am UK / 12:45am US ET / Saturday 14th December, 9:45pm US PT
UFC on ESPN 63 Main Card
Colby Covington vs Joaquin Buckley (Welterweight)
Cub Swanson vs Billy Quarantillo (Featherweight)
Manel Kape vs Bruno Silva (Flyweight)
Dustin Jacoby vs Vitor Petrino (Light Heavyweight)
Daniel Marcos vs Adrian Yanez (Bantamweight)
Navajo Stirling vs Tuco Tokkos (Light Heavyweight)
UFC on ESPN 63 Prelims
Ottman Azaitar vs Michael Johnson (Lightweight)
Joel Alvarez vs Drakkar Klose (Lightweight)
Fernando Padilla vs Sean Woodson (Featherweight)
Miles Johns vs Felipe Lima (Featherweight)
Jamey-Lyn Horth vs Miranda Maverick (Women’s Flyweight)
Davey Grant vs Ramon Taveras (Bantamweight)
Josefine Knutsson vs Piera Rodriguez (Women’s Strawweight)
Colby Covington: Vet returns after another failed title shot
Colby Covington (17-4) is ranked number six in the welterweight division and almost a full year out of action since his unanimous decision loss to Leon Edwards at UFC 296, he finally returns to action. It is remarkable that Covington has only fought five times in the five years – on 2019 on this very day, he was TKO’d by Kamaru Usman in a title fight. In those five fights, he has lost three – all being title fights – and won two against Tyron Woodley and Jorge Masvidal. The lack of activity is something of a concern so it will be interesting to see how sharp he looks in this fight.
Joaquin Buckley: Fourth fight in 2024 for surging Buckley
Joaquin Buckley (20-6) is enjoying the best run of his career right now as he has won his last five fights and the quality of those opponents has been very strong. It is hard to compare with Covington’s CV but Buckley is on the rise and he is getting better with every fight. He comes off a knockout win over Stephen Thompson and unlike Covington, he has been incredibly active while on this five-fight win streak. He knocked out Vicente Luque in March, picked up a decision win over Nursulton Ruziboev in May, then knocked out Thompson in October. He is on a serious tear right now and he will be full of confidence in facing Covington.
Colby Covington vs Joaquin Buckley Prediction
This main event sees Colby Covington and Joaquin Buckley and there is plenty of fascination around this one at UFC on ESPN 63. Covington has been outstanding for several years but has just kept falling short in title shots against the very best the welterweight division has to offer.
Buckley is a fighter on the rise with great wrestling skills and impressive knockout power. That makes him incredibly dangerous and he will be flying with confidence.
Buckley comes into this one as a firm favourite which is a little surprising. We did not anticipate Covington being such an underdog here.
There are unknowns around Colby and we do not love his lack of activity. It will not be easy coming into this one and hitting the ground running against a much younger and powerful opponent.
The fight being over five rounds would usually benefit Covington given the fact his last seven fights have all gone the distance of ended in the fifth round. But the lack of action is unlikely to help his stamina levels against a younger fighter.
It is hard to go against Buckley right now given the sheer momentum he has. However, Covington has been fighting at such an elite level and still has the desire to remain in the top echelon of welterweights, we can see Colby coming into this one in good shape.
He is the underdog but Covington will relish this role. While we do not love this one, the odds on Covington make him the more appealing play in this one.
Prediction: Colby Covington to win
