Joaquin Buckley, also known as “New Mansa”, returns on December 14 against former title challenger Colby Covington. He heads back into the Octagon after his highlight-reel finish of Stephen Thompson two months ago. The last UFC card of 2024 has major implications for the title picture at 170 pounds.
Buckley and Covington main-event the last fight of 2024, and the winner likely stares down a number-one contender opportunity. Buckley comes in much hotter than Covington, as he won five straight, three by knockout. Covington lost his last fight in a bell-to-bell domination by Leon Edwards.
Buckley took the time to speak with James Lynch and MiddleEasy, and he said he had no intention of letting Covington go five rounds.
Joaquin Buckley Has a Detailed Plan for Final Fight of 2024
When Buckley sat down with Lynch, he had an interesting perspective on his upcoming fight with Covington. Despite Covington sporting a wrestling-heavy style, Buckley believes both men aim to bring the action in their bout.
“He will argue that he wasn’t knocked out — that he wasn’t finished, and he’s right,” Buckley said. “He wasn’t knocked out unconscious, but I really feel like for me and the style that I bring, we’re two types of fighters who want to take the middle of the cage and impose our will so we’re gonna figure out who does the better job at that and who makes it to the judges’ cards or who doesn’t.
“I hate going to the judges. I always want to get the finish — always fighting hard to get the finish so we’ll see.”
Buckley also pivoted to the Jon Jones fight, calling two-time champion Stipe Miocic “easy work” for Jones. He also looked at what seems to be mandatory for Bones, the Tom Aspinall fight.
“We knew that was going to be easy work for Jon Jones, but now we really want to see the fight that the whole world wants to see and that’s him and Tom Aspinall, but Jon wants some big dollars for that and I can’t be mad at him for it, but we definitely have to see that fight happen,” Buckley said.
Jones has repeatedly said he would rather retire than fight Aspinall and has his eyes set on a fight with Alex Pereira. Dana White, for his part, says that there is no other option than the Aspinall fight. For Joaquin Buckley, a welterweight, to be speaking on a heavyweight title fight, it just shows how impactful Jones and his career are.
Joaquin Buckley’s Thoughts on the Biggest Heavyweight Fight of All Time
Although Aspinall is currently a favorite in the fight against the incumbent Jones, Buckley sees it another way. He gives the fight to one of the greatest of all time in Jones.
“He’s definitely well-rounded and a gifted heavyweight,” Buckley said of Aspinall. “I feel like he holds the most challenges for Jon Jones at this time, but I’m still gonna go with Jones for the win. The energy that Jones is giving seems scary, but I know at the end of the day Jones is a competitor and I believe that if they step into that cage, Jones is stepping out victorious.”
If Buckley gets it done against Covington, he may soon see himself in Tom Aspinall’s shoes. Both are exciting fighters with a bright future ahead, even if one is 75 pounds bigger than the other.
Featured Image Credits to Embed from Getty Images
