Joaquin Buckley Stops Colby Covington on Third-Round Cut at UFC on ESPN 63

Pools of blood on the Octagon floor provided proof of Joaquin Buckley’s dominance.

“New Mansa” moved ever closer to title contention in the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight division, as he stopped Colby Covington on a cut in the third round of their UFC on ESPN 63 main event on Saturday at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Referee Dan Miragliotta waved it off on the advice of the cageside physician 4:42 into Round 3.

A late replacement for Ian Garry, Covington (17-5, 12-5 UFC) encountered immediate difficulty. Buckley (21-6, 11-4 UFC) hacked open a cut on his right eyelid with a slashing uppercut in the first round and turned up the heat from there. Power punching combinations paired with excellent takedown defense paved the way to the most significant victory of his career. The wound grew in size and depth as the minutes passed, and Covington was warned after the second round that the fight was on the verge of being halted. Buckley continued to target the cut, and after the two men separated from a ground exchange late in Round 3, Miragliotta called in the doctor to examine it. She advised the veteran referee that Covington was in danger of “losing his eyelid,” resulting in the stoppage.

Buckley, 30, has won six fights in a row, four of them finishes.

Meanwhile, World Extreme Cagefighting holdover Cub Swanson disposed of Billy Quarantillo with punches in the third round of their featherweight co-headliner and then hinted at potential retirement. Quarantillo (18-7, 6-5 UFC) bowed out 1:36 into Round 3, losing for the third time in four fights.

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The 41-year-old Swanson (30-14, 15-10 UFC) tuned up the onetime King of the Cage champion with powerful leg kicks and right hands over the top through much of the first round. However, the notoriously durable Quarantillo regrouped in his corner and came out for the middle stanza with renewed vigor and resolve. He crowded Swanson with punches, secured a takedown and piled up points in the clinch, utilizing everything from hammerfists to the thigh and shoulder strikes to short punches and foot stomps. The outcome was still in doubt as they entered Round 3. Swanson dug in his heels, connected with a left hook and followed it with a searing right cross that put down “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 22 alum. No follow-up shots were required.

Swanson has won five of his past eight bouts.

Further down the main card, former Rizin Fighting Federation champion Manel Kape disposed of Bruno Silva with a body kick and follow-up punches in the third round of their flyweight showcase. Silva (14-6-2, 4-3 UFC) succumbed to blows 1:57 into Round 3, his four-fight winning streak at an end.

Kape (20-7, 5-3 UFC) dialed up blindingly fast combinations from both hands and weathered three low blows, the last of which cost his American Top Team-trained opponent a point in the second round. Silva grew increasingly desperate down the stretch, leaving himself open and vulnerable against a man with breathtaking fast-twitch athleticism. Kape fired a kick to the body—replays showed it may have strayed south of the border—some 90 seconds into the third round and forced the Brazilian to retreat. From there, he hit the accelerator, cut loose with power punches and drove Silva to a seated position at the base of the fence to force the stoppage.

The 31-year-old Kape has rattled off five wins across his past six outings.

Elsewhere, Factory X standout Dustin Jacoby punched out 2022 Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Vitor Petrino in the third round of their light heavyweight feature. Jacoby (20-9-1, 8-6-1 UFC) drew the curtain 3:44 into Round 3, as he rebounded from back-to-back losses to Alonzo Menifield and Dominick Reyes.

Issues with output plagued both competitors up until the finish. Jacoby blocked a flying knee late in the third round, reset and lured the Brazilian into his trap. He stepped into a lightning bolt of a right cross that nearly turned around Petrino (11-2, 4-2 UFC) and sent him crashing to the canvas. Jacoby snuck in a few more shots on the unconscious CM System export before the stoppage was called.

It was the first third-round finish of Jacoby’s 30-fight career.

Deeper into the draw, unbeaten American Combat Gym product Daniel Marcos eked out a split decision over Adrian Yanez in a hotly contested three-round bantamweight attraction. Judges Derek Cleary and Eric Colon scored it 30-27 and 29-28 for Marcos, while Chris Lee saw it 29-28 for Yanez.

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Neither man managed to gain much separation in a well-made match marked by fits and starts. Marcos (17-0, 4-0 UFC) leaned on a mixture of clubbing overhand rights, leg kicks and sweeping hooks from both hands. A short-notice replacement for Said Nurmagomedov, Yanez (17-6, 6-3 UFC) landed the most consequential blow of the bout—he buckled the former 300 Sparta champion with a counter left hook in the second round—but failed to string together enough offense to fully turn the tide in his favor. Marcos surprised the Yves Edwards protégé with two takedowns in Round 3, bled valuable time off the clock and held his own in the standup exchanges.

Yanez, 31, has lost three of his last four fights.

Finally, undefeated City Kickboxing prospect Navajo Stirling kept his perfect professional record intact with a unanimous decision over George Tokkos in their three-round light heavyweight appetizer. All three cageside judges scored it 30-27 for Stirling (6-0, 1-0 UFC).

Tokkos (10-5, 0-2 UFC) was out of his depth on the feet and failed to consolidate either of his completed takedowns with damage or control. Stirling applied constant pressure from the center of the cage and attacked the body with punches and kicks, slowly but surely wearing down the Kill Cliff Fight Club rep. Tokkos ran out of gas in the third round. There, Stirling stonewalled his takedown attempts and battered him with multi-strike combinations that were often punctuated by jarring kicks to the head, arms and body.

It was the first decision loss for Tokkos in more than five years.

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