The final UFC event of the year is upon us, with top welterweight contenders Colby ‘Chaos Covington and Joaquin ‘New Mansa’ Buckley set to headline this weekend’s card in Tampa.
Given the outspoken and often controversial nature of Colby Covington, it’s no surprise that the current welterweight champion is already dismissing the potential challenge of Chaos.
Belal Muhammad shares painful prediction for UFC Tampa: Covington vs Buckley
Heading into the UFC Tampa main event, Colby Covington remains a moderate underdog to Joaquin Buckley, with around 75% of Tapology Community Picks going in favor of ‘New Mansa’.
Those figures shouldn’t necessarily come as a surprise given how Covington is coming off a loss and a 12-month layoff, whilst Buckley has scored five big wins in a row – including a TKO over Stephen Thompson at UFC 307.
Breaking down the UFC Tampa card via the RTS Podcast, welterweight champion Belal Muhammad predicted a brutal knockout win for the surging Buckley.
“I’ve been saying it for years, he [Covington] sucks. And I’m hoping that Buckley breaks his jaw and puts him out cold – Buckley can put him out cold… Colby’s striking is terrible, his wrestling looked awful in his last fight, I think Buckley’s athletic enough to defend those takedowns.”
Muhammad, a seasoned grappler in his own right, acknowledged that Buckley’s plan could come undone if he’s unable to keep the fight standing, or burns himself out with wild shots.
“He can’t let Colby keep him on the fence and wear him down… In his last fight against Wonderboy, he was getting a little bit tired, but I think that was more so because he was offensive wrestling.
“You don’t really need to hold Colby down, you don’t really need to shoot on Colby because he can’t strike, there’s nothing he’s going to be throwing at you that’s scary, it’s not going to hurt… Take one to give him one and show him that there’s levels to striking.”
Even if Colby Covington does upset the odds and score an underdog win, Muhammad isn’t keen on sharing the octagon with Chaos anytime soon, teasing “The only way that me and Colby fight, is if I see him on the street – he’s going to get slapped.
“He says ‘I’m living in a $2 million mansion because I can’t be at the hotel cause of you guys’ – it’s because you’re scared, you’re afraid, and you can’t show your face around any other fighters cause you’d get slapped… He’s a nobody and nobody cares about him anymore.”
Belal Muhammad celebrates ‘new blood’ at 170lbs ahead of UFC Tampa
If we’re considering the wider title picture at 170lbs, the ‘better’ result for the division’s progression would be a Buckley win – with Muhammad keen to celebrate the ‘new blood’ entering that title conversation.
“100%, right. Now there’s new blood in the division, like we’ve got Shavkat [Rakhmonov] next but who’s after that?
“There are openings right, Ian just lost so now if Buckley goes out there and gets this victory, he’s right there in the mix… And people weren’t talking about him, a year ago, being in the mix.”
Of course, Muhammad couldn’t help but take aim at former champion Kamaru Usman, who ‘Remember the Name’ claims is wasting his time by sitting on his spot whilst up-and-comers like ‘New Mansa’ stay active.
“All it takes is a guy like Usman who’s sitting on the sidelines, sitting in his spot, not fighting any of these guys… He’s not doing anything and he’s waiting to see what’s happening with the division; he’s going to have to fight one of these new guys [like Buckley].”
UFC Tampa: Covington vs Buckley goes down live this weekend – Saturday, December 14.