Covington vs. Buckley Prediction, Betting Tips, Fight Odds & Analysis - UFC Fight Night

💯 Colby Covington v Joaquin Buckley Betting Odds

The fight between two welterweight giants, Colby Covington and Joaquin Buckley is expected to bring plenty of tension in the octagon. Seeing as this is a highly anticipated bout, the best betting sites in Ireland already have Covington vs Buckley betting odds available. You can find the best odds from top Irish bookies in the table below:

Fighter

Covington

1.41

1.45

1.38

1.40

Buckley

2.90

2.84

2.82

3.00

Fighter

Covington

1.41

1.45

1.38

1.40

Buckley

2.90

2.84

2.82

3.00

From the table above, the odds are in favour of Joaquin Buckley and I couldn’t agree more. The bookies put ‘New Mansa’ ahead of the former interim UFC welterweight champion, Colby Covington. On DirectionBet Sports, the odds of Buckley winning are pegged at 1.42 while ‘Chaos’ is considered the underdog with odds of 2.88 on the same bookmaker.

Both fighters have impressive fight records having won most of their fights, so predicting who will come out on top can be tricky. In the next section, however, I will walk you through each fighter’s strengths, weaknesses, and fight history to give you my prediction for this fight.

If you’re not sure how to place a UFC bet, I recommend you check out our betting guide page to get expert tips.

⚡Fighter Statistics: Colby Covington

Sitting in the sixth position in the official UFC welterweight rankings, Colby Covington will be entering the UFC Tampa fight card with 17 wins to his name. The 36-year-old has only lost four of his 22 fights against Leon Edwards, Kamaru Usman, and Warlley Alves. His most notable victory was in June 2018 when he claimed the interim UFC welterweight crown with a decision win against Rafael dos Anjos. However, ‘Chaos’ is yet to fight in a title unification bout as he was stripped of the title following a nasal injury that prevented him from facing the then champion, Tyron Woodley.

In 2019, the 5 foot 11 inches tall fighter got a title shot but lost the bout to Kamaru Usman via a technical knockout. He bounced back from the loss by stopping Tyron Woodley, but once again, he failed to grab the title from Usman when he lost by decision in 2021. According to Colby Covington statistics, Covington has had an impressive submission record, totalling four. He also has four knockout wins and three first-round finishes. The former interim welterweight champ lost his last fight against Leon Edwards by unanimous decision in December 2023 and will be looking to make a comeback when he faces Buckley on December 15 at the Amalie Arena. He has not competed in the ring since that loss, so his chances of surviving this fight hang in the balance.

⭐ Fighter Statistics: Joaquin Buckley

Nicknamed ‘New Mansa’ which means King, Joaquin Buckley is the number nine fighter on the UFC’s 170-pound rankings. Joaquin Buckley statistics show that the 30-year-old has had an impressive run since going pro in 2014 with 20 wins to his name. In fact, Buckley will be entering the ring on a five-fight winning streak and will definitely be looking to keep that record clean when he takes on Covington this Sunday. He has only lost six of his 26 fights which is very telling of his thirst for victory. Buckley is not one for submissions. His knockout arsenal is so lethal that he has had a stunning record of 14 KOs in his career, with the most recent being a third-round knockout of Stephen Thompson in October this year.

Unlike Covington who hasn’t fought for over a year, Buckley has already had three fights in 2024, stopping Vicente Luque via power strikes, picking up a decision win against Nursultan Ruziboev, and knocking out two-time UFC title challenger Stephen Thompson. The 5 foot 10 inches tall welterweight fighter is prone to knockout attacks. I saw this during his last defeat by Chris Curtis who dropped him with a brutal left hand and followed up with a few extra shots in the second round. However, I see Buckley coming out on top in this fight for several reasons. He has already fought and won his last three fights in 2024, unlike Covington who has been out of the ring since 2023. Buckley’s strength lies in his knockouts via powerful jabs that can take down any opponent. Plus, the American has revealed that he is gunning for a title shot and a win over Covington might be his ticket.

🏆 Covington vs Buckley Fight History

Why is Buckley, who currently ranks number nine against Covington’s sixth position in UFC welterweight rankings my favourite to win this bout? Well, at 30 years, he’s still in his prime and will be in his best form when he faces Covington who is currently pushing 37. Looking at the Covington vs Buckley H2H records, Buckley has had an impressive fight history with 20 wins in total. Most of his wins have come by way of knockout, while he had four first-round finishes in his 26 fights. While he has been stopped four times, he has stopped 14 of his opponents which brings his knock-out ratio to 70% with zero submissions. Buckley debuted in the UFC in 2020, taking on Kevin Holland who handed him his first UFC loss.

Colby Covington’s style is quite predictable, and Buckley only needs to stop Covington’s takedowns for things to fall into place. I like how Buckley covers the distance in his fights with double feints and dipping in to eventually stop his opponents, so

I’m rooting for him to secure yet another victory in this bout. On the other side of the coin, Colby ‘Chaos’ is a one-time former interim welterweight champion who currently ranks number six. He has a great run as well, with 17 wins and just four losses in his career since going pro in 2012. The 36-year-old signed with the UFC in 2014 and debuted at UFC Fight Night 48 against Anying Wand where he secured a TKO win. He would continue his winning streak before suffering his first pro-MMA loss at the hands of Warlley Alves at UFC 194 via a guillotine choke submission. One of his most notable wins was against Robbie Lawler where he won via unanimous decision and set a record for the most strikes with a total of 541.

Given that he has not faced anyone since losing to Edwards in a UFC welterweight title fight in 2023, Covington’s chances of coming out on top in this bout are quite slim. He will have to rely on his rear naked choke grappling technique if he succeeds in bringing Buckley to the mat to get a shot.

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