Colby Covington can expose Joaquin Buckley at UFC Tampa

Gilbert Burns thinks Colby Covington has the type to pose issues for Joaquin Buckley.

Former interim welterweight champion Covington (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) takes on Buckley (20-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 63 important occasion at Amalie Enviornment in Tampa, Fla. (ESPN2, ESPN+).

Burns factors to Buckley’s loss to Logan Storley at Bellator 197 in 2018 – a combat which prompted Buckley to maneuver as much as middleweight – as a cause to favor Covington.

“I feel Buckley’s in the very best momentum proper now, however (wrestling is) Buckley’s kryptonite,” Burns informed Submission Radio. “One in all my favourite teammates is Logan Storley, he was the interim Bellator champ, he fought Buckley, and Logan simply outwrestled him.

“He simply took him down, beat him up with ground-and-pound, took him down once more, beat him up with ground-and-pound. Destroyed him with ground-and-pound, and that’s one thing that Colby actually can do.”

Since shifting again right down to welterweight, Buckley is 5-0, most not too long ago knocking out Stephen Thompson at UFC 307 in October. Nevertheless, former title challenger Burns thinks if Covington can climate an early storm, he’ll swarm Buckley.

“Colby’s all the time coaching,” Burns mentioned. “I do know these guys from MMA Masters, Daniel Valverde and Cesar Carneiro, they are saying that he’s all the time within the fitness center. The man is all the time coaching, he’s all the time in form. I feel Colby would possibly give numerous issues to Buckley, hold taking him down with that loopy tempo.

“Buckley’s an enormous man with numerous muscle. If Buckley can’t put Colby out of there within the first or the second spherical, I feel Colby will overwhelm him and beat him up. Colby can get possibly a dominant resolution win, or Buckley can get a fast knockout within the first or within the second spherical.”