Colby Covington stated he was going to name Hunter Campbell on Monday to ask for a battle in opposition to Shavkat Rakhmonov.
It seems the promotion had different plans. As an alternative, Covington (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) will face Joaquin Buckley (20-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) in a five-round welterweight UFC on ESPN 63 headliner Dec. 14 at Amalie Area in Tampa, Fla., promotion CEO Dana White introduced Saturday.
Covington, 36, replaces Ian Machado Garry, who slides back a week to face Rakhmonov after champion Belal Muhammad pulled out. Covington most not too long ago competed in a failed title bid vs. Leon Edwards in December. He misplaced by unanimous choice. It was the third time Covington had challenged for the title and got here up quick. He’s 1-2 in his most up-to-date three.
Buckley, 30, seeks his sixth-straight victory in what can be his first promotional essential occasion. He most not too long ago competed in October when he knocked out Stephen Thompson.
With the addition, the UFC on ESPN 63 lineup contains:
- Joaquin Buckley vs. Colby Covington
- Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas
- Dustin Jacoby vs. Vitor Petrino
- Jamey-Lyn Horth vs. Miranda Maverick
- Joel Alvarez vs. Drakkar Klose
- Josefine Knutsson vs. Piera Rodriguez
- Navajo Stirling vs. Tuco Tokkos
- Davey Grant vs. Ramon Taveras
- Manel Kape vs. Bruno Silva
- Ottman Azaitar vs. Michael Johnson
- Daniel Marcos vs. Adrian Yanez
- Fernando Padilla vs. Sean Woodson
- Miles Johns vs. Felipe Lima
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