On December 14, the UFC returns to the Sunshine State for their final event of 2024. No. 6 Colby Covington headlines against No. 9 Joaquin Buckley in the Main Event. The Amalie Arena in Tampa, Flordia, hosts this week’s fight night. This is the fourth time the UFC is in Tampa and the first time since Joanna Jedrzejczyk beat Michelle Waterson-Gomez in October 2019.
The confident and brash former UFC Welterweight Interim Champion Colby “Chaos” Covington is back after a year away from the Octagon. Covington had surgery on his foot after his fight with former champion Leon Edwards in December 2023. Edwards won that fight by unanimous decision. Covington is in a weird position because although he has lost two of his previous three fights and three of his last five, they have all been in title bouts. Since 2016, Covington has only lost to two people, Kamura Usman (twice) and Edwards.
Covington is used to fighting veterans, champions, and former title holders, but now he will step across the Octagon against a rising star. Buckley made his UFC debut in 2020 and has fought 14 times in 52 months. That is unbelievable, especially in today’s landscape, where fighter inactivity has increased. He found some success in the middleweight division in the UFC, but his entire future and potential changed when he moved down to 170 pounds.
Although the veteran Covington has more Main Event experience, Buckley is the favorite at -278 on DraftKings Sportsbook. Covington is a +225 underdog in this contest. Buckley is also +140 to win this fight by KO/TKO/DQ.
The 13-year UFC veteran, Cub Swanson, will make his 25th walk to the Octagon on Saturday night. Even though he has never fought for UFC gold, he has had plenty of memorable moments in his career. He is coming off a loss to Andre Fili at UFC 303 in June. Swanson has alternated wins and losses throughout his previous eight fights and has not lost two fights in a row since 2019.
He is fighting Billy Quarantillo, who is also coming off a defeat. Quarantillo lost to Youssef Zalal in March. It is a close matchup on paper, with both fighters sharing a reach and Quarantillo having a two-inch height edge (5’10” vs. 5’8″). Quarantine is a -148 favorite, while Swanson is +124.
No. 9 Manel Kape looks to get back in the win column against rising star No. 12 Bruno Silva. The pride of Angola has won four of his previous five fights. Kape has fought both fighters that competed in this past week’s UFC 310 Main Event. In 2019, Kape knocked out Kai Asakura and lost to Alexandre Pantoja in 2021. Silva, 34, is climbing the rankings quickly as he has knocked out all four of his last four opponents. Kape is a -375 favorite, while Silva is +295 on DraftKings Sportsbook.
At UFC 301 in May, Anthony Smith submitted Vitor Petrino in the first round. He was a big favorite in that fight and is returning to fight Dustin Jacoby. Jacoby has lost four of his previous five fights and is desperate for a victory. After being unbeaten in his first seven fights, Jacoby tries to re-find his winning ways. Petrino is -340 as Jacoby is +270.
The second bout of the event features Adrian Yanez vs. Daniel Marcos. Yanez is coming off a knockout victory, while Marcos is still unbeaten at 16-0 in his MMA career. This is an exciting bantamweight three-round contest between two powerful strikers. Yanez is the +180 underdog, and Marcos is a -218 favorite.
Another product of City Kickboxing, Navajo Stirling, recently earned a UFC contract after having a second-round knockout on Dana White’s Contender Series. He is 5-0 in his MMA career with four knockouts. Eugene Bareman, the Head Coach at City Kickboxing in Auckland, New Zealand, has produced many UFC stars, including former champions Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski. His next prospect, Stirling, faces Tuco Tokkos, who is 0-1 in the UFC. Don’t blink because Stirling is a quick finisher.
Will Covington bring “Chaos” to UFC Tampa and start another run at gold, or can Buckley prove he is championship material?
Check out the full card 13-fight card below.
Main Card starts at 10 P.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV
| Matchup: | Records: | Weight Class: | Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook: |
| #6 Colby Covington vs. #9 Joaquin Buckley Main Event | 17-4 (12-4 UFC) vs. 20-6 (10-4 UFC) | Welterweight | +225 vs. -278 |
| Cub Swanson vs. Billy Quarantillo | 29-14 (14-10 UFC) vs. 18-6 (6-4 UFC) | Featherweight | +124 vs. -148 |
| #9 Manel Kape vs. #12 Bruno Silva | 19-7 (4-3 UFC) vs. 14-5-2 (4-2 UFC) | Flyweight | -375 vs. +295 |
| Vitor Petrino vs. Dustin Jacoby | 11-1 (4-1 UFC) vs. 19-9-1 (7-6-1 UFC) | Light Heavyweight | -340 vs. +270 |
| Adrian Yanez vs. Daniel Marcos | 16-0 (3-0 UFC) vs. 17-5 (6-2 UFC) | Batamweight | Bantamweight |
| Navajo Stirling vs. Tuco Tokkos | 5-0 vs. 10-4 (0-1) | Light Heavyweight | -750 vs. +525 |
Prelims on ESPN2/ESPN+ start at 8 p.m. ET.
| Matchup: | Records: | Weight Class: | Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook: |
| Michael Johnson vs. Ottman Azaitar | 22-19 (14-15 UFC) vs. 13-2 (2-2 UFC) | Lightweight | -205 vs. +170 |
| Joel Alvarez vs. Drakkar Klose | 21-3 (6-2 UFC) vs. 15-2-1 (9-2 UFC) | Lightweight | -470 vs. +360 |
| Sean Woodson vs. Fernando Padilla | 12-1-1 (6-1-1 UFC) vs. 16-5 (2-1 UFC) | Featherweight | -155 vs. +130 |
| Miles Johns vs. Felipe Lima | 15-2 (6-2 UFC) vs. 13-1 (1-0 UFC) | Featherweight | +195 vs. -238 |
| Miranda Maverick vs. Jamey-Lyn Horth | 14-5 (7-3 UFC) vs. 7-1 (2-1 UFC) | W Flyweight | -600 vs. +440 |
| Davey Grant vs. Ramon Taveras | 13-7 (6-6 UFC) vs. 10-2 (1-0) | Batamweight | -110 vs. -110 |
| Josefine Knutsson vs. Piera Rodriguez | 8-0 (2-0 UFC) vs. 9-2 (2-2 UFC) | W Strawweight | -238 vs. +195 |
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