Chael Sonnen made some surprising claims after cornering Colby Covington at UFC Tampa.
Colby Covington’s attempt at a fourth UFC welterweight title shot fell short at UFC Tampa. He faced a tough opponent in Joaquin Buckley, enduring a significant beating in the first two rounds. The situation escalated when the Octagonside doctor examined a deep cut above Covington’s right eye during Round 3 and ultimately determined that he was unfit to continue.
As a result, Buckley remains undefeated in the welterweight division, while Covington has now experienced his second consecutive loss since returning to the Octagon. His previous defeat was a title fight against Leon Edwards at UFC 296.
After the stoppage, UFC CEO Dana White raised questions about the doctor’s decision, suggesting that such a ruling might not have occurred in Las Vegas. During the examination, the doctor informed the referee that Covington was at risk of losing his eyelid due to the severity of the wound.
Sonnen, who made an unexpected appearance in Covington’s corner at UFC Tampa, shared a unique perspective on the contentious conclusion of the fight.
Chael Sonnen was about to ‘throw in the towel’ before doctor prevented Colby Covington from continuing.
In a post-fight video on his YouTube channel, Sonnen revealed that he was ready to intervene and stop the fight on Covington’s behalf prior to the doctor’s decision. He described Covington’s condition, stating, "Colby was getting hit on his feet with everything you could do, he’s busted open so bad that the doctor has to look at it three times."
Sonnen recounted that the doctor paused the action twice before finally determining that they could not continue. "I was going to stop that fight; I already grabbed the towel," he admitted.
He expressed concern over the blood flow into Covington’s eye, indicating that this was a critical factor in his thoughts about stopping the fight. “If it’s blinding the guy, it doesn’t matter if it’s a little or a lot…it’s the exact same thing. I said ‘Hand me that towel, I’m stopping this’,” he explained.
Sonnen’s confession stands out in light of the conversation surrounding the stoppage. Had he intervened and thrown in the towel, he might have faced significant backlash regarding the event’s conclusion.
Chael Sonnen makes surprising defense of Colby Covington vs. Joaquin Buckley stoppage.
The friendship between Sonnen and Covington dates back to their shared background in Oregon. While his specific influence during Covington’s training camp remains uncertain, Sonnen was clearly the leading voice in his corner at UFC Tampa.
Following the loss to Buckley, Covington’s record over his last six fights stands at 2-4, which includes two title fight defeats against Kamaru Usman. He has yet to secure a victory in lineal UFC title fights, having lost to Edwards last December.
Covington’s most recent win was a decision against former teammate Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272. In contrast to his earlier career, where he was highly active, Covington has seen his number of appearances decline over the last few years, averaging just one fight per year since 2019.
After the setback against Buckley, the clarity of Covington’s future in the UFC, as well as his aspirations for a title shot, remains uncertain. Regardless of the outcome, Sonnen is likely to continue playing a significant role in Covington’s camp moving forward.
