UFC fighter Joaquin Buckley was quite amused with Colby Covington’s dismissal of him despite training in the same gym with him and even offering support as a sparring partner.
Buckley disclosed that the incident took place when the fighter was in the fight camp training for his fight with Kamaru Usman. He said he offered some help to the fighter but was quickly shot down. However, he believes the fighter was scared to face him.
“Why you lying, Colby? Why you lying?” Buckley said during UFC Tampa media day. “That’s the funniest thing. We’ve done already met each other before. This will be our third time meeting each other if we get to face off.
“When I trained out in Miami with MMA Masters, this was right before he had the fight with Kamaru Usman. Before I met him, I knew that he trained down there, I didn’t know what to expect. I had only known him from all the stuff that he does on camera. But when I saw him, just a chill dude. He was like, ‘what’s up man?’ [and] I’m like, ‘how you doing, bro?’ Just a basic guy. Eventually, I was like I can help you out with this Kamaru Usman fight. I think we should get some rounds in, get some training in. [He said] ‘oh man, I would love that, that would be cool.’ Funny thing about it, it just never happened. Because he just didn’t want to work.”
He believes Covington viewed him as a threat and who could take the spotlight off him if he got taken down during sparring. Buckley on the other hand is a firm believer in training with partners. He says you get better by testing yourself and pitting yourself against opponents who will make him a better fighter.
‘The thing about Colby Covington, he kind of runs his own career, and he likes to work comfortable,” Buckley explained. “The thing about me is even though I kind of do the same thing, I don’t like working comfortable. I like working with new guys. I like working with guys that are hungry. And, I like putting myself in a position where it’s going to make me better.
“That’s where I feel like he lost those big fights because he was always training comfortable and he didn’t want to train with guys that are going to push him.”
It seems Buckley will finally get a chance to best Covington in the cage as the fighter replaced Ian Machado Garry–who recently competed at UFC 310, replacing Belal Muhammad. Covington will be coming to UFC Tampa with a 3-3 pro record afte his recent win over Rafael dos Anjos.
“It’s funny how he was scared to just train with me and now he’s stepping in the cage with me,” Buckley said. “For real, Colby’s been quiet and he hasn’t been saying anything because he knows the truth. I think he’s really nervous to step in that cage with me.
“He wants to fight 145 [pound fighters]. He wants to fight Paddy Pimblett, Dustin Poirier, Charles Oliveira, guys that’s not welterweight fighters. I feel like, in my opinion, this might be his last fight on his contract. I’m just assuming that. If you want to fight and it’s going to be your last one, you want to go off on top. I really feel like, with that being said, he had no choice but to take this fight because it’s his last one.”
Buckley believes Covington would rather not face him, but he says the fighter has been put in a tough spot.
“I really feel like he had no choice,” Buckley said. “It’s either fight or leave, retire.”
