Very few escape the wrath of Colby Covington.
The former interim welterweight was on the verge of being cut after a win over Dong-hyun Kim because his fights weren’t all that exciting and he wasn’t generating much attention.
He was just … there.
So before facing Demian Maia in Brazil, he leaned into a trash-talking, pro wrestling-style persona. He was so aggressive and outrageous that the UFC had to move him to another hotel in Sao Paolo for his own safety.
In the eight years since, only one man besides President Trump has escaped Covington’s wrath.
Guess as long as you’d like. You’re unlikely to guess Joaquin Buckley, but it’s true. If you somehow did, congratulations.
The seventh-ranked Buckley is the one Covington opponent since the heel turn to miss out on the barrage of insults.
Buckley stopped Covington in the third round of their Dec. 14 bout in Tampa, Fla., in what may well have been his greatest performance.
Despite Buckley’s in-cage brilliance, what sets this fight apart is the absence of Covington’s typical pre-fight shtick. Covington didn’t unload on Buckley before the bout the way he had on so many others.
“I love [when I get trash talked]; it’s a part of the game,” Buckley said. “The only thing that you said that is messed up about that is that Colby didn’t give me any of that type of energy. There was no trash talking. There was no back-and-forth. It was just a guy who showed up for a fight.”
Most fighters don’t appreciate the trash talk — Jose Aldo wanted to kill Conor McGregor by the end of their pre-fight media tour in 2015 — but Buckley wished Covington would have unloaded verbally on him.
“I’m still trying to build this name,” Buckley said. “I don’t have that name yet. A lot of these guys, they’ve already built their names and I feel like I need their help to get into that position. It’s one thing to fight me and step into the Octagon. But it’s the build-up that’s everything.
“Kamaru Usman is not giving me much. We just had a face-off, which was pretty cool. I tried to interact with him, but he wouldn’t give me nothing.”
What Usman is giving Buckley that’s vitally important to Buckley’s dream of one day fighting for the UFC welterweight title is an opportunity. Usman is one of the greatest fighters in the sport’s history and despite a recent three-fight losing skid, at No. 5, he’s two spots ahead of Buckley in the divisional rankings.
He didn’t have to give Buckley this opportunity. And a win over Usman would vault him to at least fifth, where a title shot is then only a win away.
Buckley isn’t just improving as a fighter, either. He’s working just as hard to build his name and become a ticket-selling attraction.
On Thursday, he held a public workout in Atlanta when he had no obligation to do so to draw attention to himself and the fight.
“Who else is doing that kind of thing?” Buckley said.
At this point, no one, and it’s a genius move. The ultimate validation, though, hinges on the outcome against Usman. Covington’s win over Maia — one of the great submission artists of his era — led to a shot at the interim welterweight belt.
Buckley can’t simply rely on being accessible to the fans, funny with the media and great on social media; he needs to continue to rack up the wins.
The division is as strong as it’s ever been. New champion Jack Della Maddalena, who was impressive in taking the belt from Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 in May, will meet pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev later this year.
Makhachev is vacating his lightweight title to take a crack at winning a second weight-class title.
Muhammad is now ranked first, followed by jiu-jitsu ace Sean Brady. The unbeaten Shavkat Rakhmonov is third, followed by former champions Leon Edwards and Usman at Nos. 4 and 5.Ian Machado Garry is sixth, Buckley seventh and uber prospect Michael Morales eight.
Winning is always critical, but it takes on even more urgency for the 170-pound contenders now given how stacked the Top 10 is. One loss is two or three steps back for any of them.
That puts great significance on each bout.
He’s not crazy that Makhachev is jumping into the deep end and immediately getting a title shot.
“In my personal opinion, you have to prove you can put on great performances and put on great fights at 170, so I feel like he has to fight the No. 1 contender or a big name at 170 [before getting a title shot],” Buckley said.
It’s not an unreasonable position, though the UFC has been consistent in allowing champions to move up and immediately fight for the belt in a higher class.
Buckley believes Makhachev will retire if he beats Della Maddalena and wins the welterweight belt and won’t defend it.
But he isn’t thinking of that because he knows only one fight matters at this point.
“The only thing I can allow myself to think about now is ‘How do I put on the best performance of my life and how can I prove to the world that I should be next to fight for the world title?’ ” Buckley said. “Because of that, the only person who is on my mind right now is Kamaru Usman. I have to go out there and put his lights out.”
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Joaquin Buckley enters Saturday's bout versus Kamaru Usman ranked seventh at 170.