UFC Tampa: Five Things We Learned

UFC Tampa: Five Things We Learned

The final UFC event of 2024 is in the books. The promotion ended the year with a banger in Tampa Bay, Florida. UFC Tampa was a sensational card from a pure entertainment perspective. It was filled with highlight reel knockouts, fun fights, and quality performances. Let’s recap the card by discussing the biggest lessons from the event.

Joaquin Buckley Continues His Welterweight Climb

The UFC Tampa main event was a welterweight clash between Joaquin Buckley and Colby Covington. The doctor called a stop to the fight in the final seconds of the third round because of a cut on Covington’s eyelid. That resulted in a finish victory for Buckley.

The doctor’s stoppage did not put an asterisk on Buckley’s win. It was a dominant outing for the rising welterweight. Buckley prevented Covington from getting his wrestling offense going in the early rounds. At one point, Covington got a few minutes of top control but did not threaten any submission or damage. Buckley was the fight who was creating damage. On the feet, he was landing strikes consistently. This includes a consistent jab, big hooks, as well as some ground and pound. The damage from Buckley created Covington’s cut and forced it to get bigger.

This was a strong showing for Buckley. He did everything that was expected and got the finish. That is all you can ask for.

Buckley now sits with a 6-0 welterweight record with three ranked wins. The drop-down from middleweight was a fantastic move and has raised his potential. Now, Buckley is in line for a top-five opponent and is on the verge of a title fight.

Colby Covington’s Poor Run Continues

On the opposite side of the UFC Tampa main event, there is serious concern about Covington’s future. The 36-year-old has simply shown massive signs of regressions in recent outings.

This was not the version of Covington that made him a title challenger. It has been difficult for him to push a pace against the newer version of welterweights. In striking exchanges, he is typically far less dangerous, he is less physical while grappling, and he has not shown the same level of cardio. These factors have all combined to make his two most recent fights very poor outings.

If Covington does not make vast changes immediately, he will be in serious trouble. At this point in his career, he feels like a gatekeeper who will only be able to defeat fighters with serious grappling flaws. If his opponents can competently defend takedowns, he will be way to outgunned to compete in striking exchanges.

It may come as good news to many fans, but it feels like Covington is going to be a causality to the rise of new welterweight contenders. It would be a shock to see him maintain a spot in the upper echelon of the division.

Manel Kape Has A UFC-Best Performance

At UFC Tampa, Manel Kape landed a third-round knockout against Bruno Silva. Kape looked a career-best throughout the bout and finished the fight with an exclamation point.

This bout showed exactly why the UFC decided to sign Kape back in 2021. This bout demonstrated his speed, power, crafty striking, finishing ability, and entertainment value. Those things have all been present throughout his UFC tenure; however, this is the first time he has shown all of those things in one fight.

This is the type of fight that throws Kape in title discussions. It is unlikely he will walk into a title opportunity for his next fight. That is simply too large of a jump in competition. That being said, he will probably find himself in a big fight that could result in a shot at UFC gold.

Joel Alvarez Deserves Ranked Opponent

At UFC Tampa, Joel Alvarez looked incredible as he knocked out Drakkar Close in the first round. It was another great showing for the Spaniard.

Alvarez put his shape-striking skills and power on display in this fight. It did not take much to land the knockout. Alvarez was landing straight shots that hurt Klose before eventually finishing the fight with a big knee and follow-up shots.

At this point, Alvarez is 7-2 and is on a three-fight win streak. Plus, he has finished every single victory in his UFC tenure. It is an impressive run that should result in a ranked opponent. That is assuming continues to cut weight to stay at lightweight.

Navajo Stirling Has An Uninspiring Debut

The UFC Tampa main card opened with a light heavyweight bout between Navajo Stirling and Tuco Tokkos. Striling managed to get his hand raised, but he did not live up to the expectations many people set for him.

Striling earned a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series with a highlight reel knockout. It felt as if most people expected that to be the case in this fight. That is why he was a massive favorite. That being said, Stirling ended up fighting way too closely with Tokkos. In the first round, he set himself apart. That did not last throughout the fight, however. The final two rounds featured two tired fighters who both looked underwhelming.

Personally, I was much lower on Striling than the consensus. I ranked him as the No. 15 prospect from DWCS Season 8 and labeled him as a high-upside prospect. Still, with that expectation, he showed more of what his potential floor looks like rather than his ceiling. That is not good considering he was fighting an opponent that will probably fail to hold a UFC roster spot for an impactful period of time.

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