Colby Covington suffered a lopsided loss in his fight against Joaquin Buckley after taking it on short notice. The striking exchanges resulted in a massive gash on Covington’s eyebrow and significant blood loss. The ringside doctor expressed concern that Covington could lose his eyelid or require surgery if the fight continued past round three. Ultimately, the fight was stopped by the doctor, and ‘Chaos’ had to accept the unceremonious conclusion.

The MMA community has been vocal about the loss, and even former UFC light heavyweight king Chuck Liddell weighed in on Covington’s performance. Speaking on the JAXXON podcast, Liddell began with a compliment, saying, “He didn’t roll up and quit so I give him that.” However, ‘The Iceman’ quickly expressed his dissatisfaction, stating, “Yeah, I mean I give it to him he was still fighting. He didn’t roll up and quit so I give him that but, not much more I mean wasn’t, I didn’t expect much more from him but, yeah. Colby I mean the last couple of fights he hasn’t made a legit I don’t think made a legit shot. I mean like. He’s not setting anything up and taking a shot I mean, he’s a guy he needs to take down. But he can’t just stand in and box with this guy (Joaquin Buckley).”

Chuck Liddell also reflected on Covington’s recent performances, suggesting that the former interim welterweight king had lost his once-prominent confidence in his takedowns. Liddell observed, “It doesn’t look like he has the confidence in his takedowns. He seemed to before; he was building up confidence, He could control someone, take him down, run him into deep water, and beat him then. And now it doesn’t seem he has that confidence.”

After nearly a year of inactivity, Covington returned to the Octagon on short notice. He admitted that he had been unable to train properly due to his commitments, including assisting Donald Trump with his campaign. Despite this, Covington vowed to come back stronger. However, as of now, it appears that the Clovis native has been suspended, adding uncertainty to his future in the sport.

Medical suspension, persona, and a bleak future

One week after UFC Tampa, the medical suspension list was released, and it appears that Colby Covington is on it. He could be sidelined for more than a month before being cleared to compete again. According to official reports, the California native must rest for an extended 45 days before considering his return to the Octagon.

As 2024 ends on a tough note for Covington, the fighter revealed a side of himself that differs from his “villain” persona. He spoke openly about how people may be misunderstanding his image. In an interview with CBS Sports, Covington addressed the misconception, saying, “[What people get wrong] is that I’m a mean person. People don’t know. They want to assume things, they want to jump to conclusions. They don’t know that yeah, of course, I gotta turn myself up for show business, it is what it is. This is the name of the game. I’m trying to get paid, I’m trying to do good business for the UFC…I’m misunderstood and that’s okay.”

Covington also expressed a desire to resolve conflicts with those he had issues with in the past. Surprisingly, he named Leon Edwards as someone he’d like to sit down and have dinner with, despite their heated exchanges before. As Covington recovers from his recent loss, the question remains: can he bounce back and re-establish himself as a top contender? Share your thoughts in the comments below.