Joaquin Buckley opens up about opponent change from "c*ck" Ian Garry to Colby Covington after Belal Muhammad’s UFC 310 exit

Joaquin Buckley was initially scheduled to fight Ian Garry at UFC Fight Night in Tampa, Florida, on Dec. 14. However, Shavkat Rakhmonov was left without an opponent after Belal Muhammad withdrew from his first title defense at UFC 310 due to injury. As a result, the UFC was forced to find a new opponent for Rakhmonov to keep the fight card intact.

On Friday, UFC CEO Dana White announced that Buckley will now face Colby Covington, instead of Garry, at UFC Fight Night in Tampa. Additionally, the UFC confirmed that Garry will take on 'Nomad' at UFC 310 in the co-main event, but it will not be for the interim welterweight title, as many fans had speculated.

@ChampRDS recently shared a video of 'New Mansa' reacting to the news on their X account. The 30-year-old fighter posted a hilarious video expressing his disappointment about facing his opponent and poking fun at Covington, while also claiming that he would knock him out. Buckley humorously commented on the situation, showing his frustration while adding lighthearted jabs at the news:

“They took my main event no more Buck vs. C*ck. They gave that man a shot to fight for the interim title. That's some old Bull and now they want to give me Colby Convington. He ain't fight since Obama was in office, it's all good though buck gonna be alright.”

Buckley continued:

"Make sure yall check me out December 14th in Tamba Bay, we Got another knockout to get but damn Buck versus Cuck would have been a good-a** fight."

Check out Joaquin Buckley’s comments below:

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Colby Covington returns to octagon against Joaquin Buckley on Dec. 14

The former interim welterweight champion, Colby Covington, has been out of action since his loss to former welterweight champion Leon Edwards at UFC 296 in December 2023. Now, fans are excited to see his comeback against Joaquin Buckley in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Tampa, Florida, on December 14.

Meanwhile, ‘New Mansa’ recently fought in October against Stephen Thompson at UFC 307, where he secured a victory in the third round via KO/TKO. The win marked his fifth consecutive victory, which will surely give him a significant boost as he prepares to enter the octagon against ‘Chaos’.