UFC Tampa turned out to be a major setback for Colby Covington. Joaquin Buckley broke him open, leaving him bloodied and prompting the cage-side doctors to halt the fight. Naturally, Covington wasn’t pleased with the stoppage. However, many, including experienced MMA fighters, feel that the outcome was inevitable.

Despite stepping in on just three weeks’ notice, Covington remains undeterred after experiencing his second consecutive loss. During his YouTube video, ‘Chaos’, he made a statement and said, “I was just getting warmed up in that fight.” But was this really the case in the fight? A former UFC fighter doesn’t quite feel the same.

Colby Covington’s remarks of ‘getting warmed up’ get honest verdict from UFC veteran

Covington entered the fight determined to put behind his tough loss to former welterweight champion Leon Edwards from the previous year. However, despite his confidence, things quickly went off course. Buckley’s aggressive powerful punches led to a bloody, one-sided defeat for Covington, forcing him to reassess his next steps. ‘Chaos’ during his explanation on his YouTube channel seemed delighted with his performance. He said, “I think it was tied up 1-1, and I was starting to wear on him”. However, Paul Felder doesn’t quite agree with him on this part.

While speaking to Michael Bisping on his podcast, he shared his honest opinion on the entire fight. He said, “I know Colby has said that he was just getting warmed up, but that’s just the kind of stuff Colby’s gonna say after the fact he looked like he did not have the right amount of time to properly prepare his gas tank. For how he fights for that particular fight. ” The former interim champion may not agree to it, but many experts felt he looked nowhere close to his best. While he did not have much time to prepare for the fight, Buckley seemed a better fighter in all areas on the particular night.

Colby Covington has built a reputation as one of the UFC’s most controversial and outspoken personalities. Famous for his bold comments, including taunts aimed at Leon Edwards’ late father, Covington, regularly, finds himself in the headlines, whether through his actions or performances in the Octagon.

MMA veterans also believe Covington had it coming when they announced the fight. And one of the biggest reasons for the blame was on the former interim welterweight champion for moving out of a gym like the American Top Team. Josh ‘The Punk’ Thomson and Big John McCarthy also took to their podcast to share their opinion on his performance in Tampa.

Colby Covington needs a good training team according to MMA experts

On the Weighing In Podcast, Josh Thomson offered Covington a reality check, pointing out that leaving the American Top Team left him without top-level training partners. Had he stayed at the gym, he could have trained alongside fighters like Dustin Poirier and Jorge Masvidal. Now, however, the situation has changed. Thomson said, “And now, you’re running kind of your own camp and you’re kind of doing your own thing at a smaller facility without a whole lot of people to really train with that are at that top level when you just left the gym that had basically a plethora of world-class fighters there”. 

Thomson continued by analyzing the main event of UFC Tampa, noting how Covington was already struggling for breath halfway through the first round. He suggested this could be because the welterweight didn’t warm up properly before stepping into the Octagon. Before the fight’s announcement, Covington ensured he signed up for the fight only to help the promotion. However, the way the fight has ended, it seems ‘Chaos’ will have to prove to the fans and the experts about his quality.

At 36 years old, the former interim champion is definitely at the twilight of his career. However, would things have been different if he had prepared for the fight? Or is Colby Covington nowhere close to the fighter he was in the past? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.