UFC Tampa: Covington vs Buckley
- Where to Watch: ESPN 2 & ESPN+
- Start Time: Prelims – 7pm EST | Main Card – 10pm EST
- Date: Saturday, December 14th 2024
The UFC will cap off 2024 in Tampa, Florida where they bring an electric fight-night card headlined by two welterweight contenders in Joaquin Buckley and Colby Covington. It’s quite an exciting card packed with ranked fighters, legends, undefeated prospects, and more. With all of this combined, UFC Tampa should make for a very entertaining night of fights!
Main Event
- Colby Covington (+230) vs Joaquin Buckley (-285)
Things changed quite a bit when Ian Machado Garry took the opportunity to fight one week earlier, switching his opponent to Shavkat Rakhmonov instead of Joaquin Buckley in Tampa. When the news broke and the switch was publicized, everyone was wondering who Buckley would end up fighting in this main event. Here steps in Colby Covington, who will make his return exactly one year and two days after his title fight with Leon Edwards last year.
Buckley will make his sixth walk to the UFC octagon as a welterweight. During his time in the division, Buckley has gone 5-0 with three big knockouts. He most recently came off one of those insane knockouts at UFC 307 in October. This turnaround will be rather quick for Buckley. It will be his fourth fight in only nine months but it’s obvious he’s on a mission and feels the momentum moving forward.
As mentioned, Covington returns after a year away from competition. His last walk to the octagon, Covington was outclassed by Edwards but stuck in there for all five rounds. For Buckley, as he continues to dominate his way though the division, this is a good opportunity to take out a former-interim champion with experience against the highest level welterweights since 2014. Covington sits three spots higher than Buckley in the rankings, so a victory would speak volumes. Covington has a great opportunity to bounce back and take out a rising star with lots of momentum. Stay tuned to see how this one plays out!
Main Card
- Cub Swanson (+130) vs Billy Quarantillo (-155)
“Killer” Cub Swanson refused to call it a career after his last fight (a split decision loss), but has contemplated retirement for some time now. Of course, a close split decision brought the competitor out of him to try and chase one more victory. It’s unknown if Swanson will lay down the gloves after his bout but there are certainly speculations.
Just as he looks to get back into the win column, Billy Quarantillo will be eager to bounce back after being submitted by Youssef Zalal earlier this year. Both Swanson and Quarantillo are fun fighters to watch. Each fighter has collected plenty of knockout and submission victories over the course of there careers. In this fight, as in every fight, anything can happen.
- Manel Kape (-345) vs Bruno Silva (+275)
The stacked flyweight division featured a title fight between champion Alexandre Pantoja against Kai Asakura last weekend at UFC 310. This weekend, the UFC follows up with another flyweight banger between two top ranked fighters in the division. #9 Manel Kape will take on the #12 in Bruno Silva.
This four fight win streak of Silva’s has been impressive to watch. He’s been perfect and finished all four fights in dominant fashion. Meanwhile, Kape looks to avenge the loss that snapped his very own four fight win streak. Back in July, in a very anticipated fight against Mohammad Mokaev, Kape fell on the short end of a decision. A statement victory for either fighter will help them climb the ranks within the division.
- Dustin Jacoby (+245) vs Vitor Petrino (-305)
Expect Vitor Petrino to come into this fight more hungry than ever, considering his last time out he suffered his first professional loss. Petrino was in the middle of a dominant stretch, finishing almost every fight he was in, before falling victim to some veteran adversity. Dustin Jacoby has been around the division for a while now and although he can be a 50/50 fighter, he proves to be a tough task for any opponent. Jacoby possesses the experience advantage, but if Petrino can get past him and his tough style, it will be the exact bounce-back moment he needs to climb the ranks.
- Adrian Yanez (+150) vs Daniel Marcos (-180)
Daniel Marcos came into the UFC with a perfect record and has maintained that since. Currently at 16-0, Marcos will face his toughest test since signing with the UFC. Adrian Yanez is a fighter who trusts his hands and will stand n’ bang with Marcos. With over thirty victories and 19 knockouts combined between the two fighters, this fight should be absolute fireworks!
- Navajo Sterling (-500) vs Tuco Tokkos (+380)
Navajo Sterling is the biggest favorite on this card and it’s only his UFC debut! The undefeated fighter from New Zealand made his appearance on this season of Dana White’s Contender Series and showed up to impress, earning himself a contract with a huge knockout. Tuco Tukkos is in need of a victory after being submitted in the first round of his debut. This will be a big time opportunity for him to derail an undefeated prospect with lots of hype. Tokkos may come into this fight extra aggressive, which could definitely benefit him, but could also cost him. We will see who can get their game plan going.
CFFC 138: Fernandez vs Ellis
- Where to Watch: Prelims – CFFC OnlyFans | Main Card – UFC FightPass
- Start Time: Prelims – 7:00pm EST | Main Card – 9pm EST
- Date: Friday, December 13th 2024
CFFC returns to the Hard Rock in Atlantic City, New Jersey to close out the year with CFFC 138! It’s been a special year for the promotion and now they send off 2024 with an action packed card and even a championship belt on the line. It’s always a good show at the Hard Rock, but the return of Luke Fernandez is shaping up to be an extra special night for Cage Fury.
Main Event
- Luke Fernandez (3-0) vs Gregg Ellis (8-5)
Luke Fernandez may be young in his professional career but has proved himself as a dominant champion on the regional scene. Fernandez got an opportunity to challenge for the title at 2-0, won that fight, and will now make his first title defense on Saturday night. His progression as a fighter has been fast paced and he’s passed every test thrown at him with three big knockouts.
The challenger, Gregg Ellis, is a former CFFC champion with loads of high level experience. While Fernandez loves to find the KO, Ellis has only been KO’d once in his entire thirteen fight career. It will be interesting to see if the current champion will be able to do what he does best against a much more experienced fighter.
Featured Fight
- Mark Grey (6-1) vs Felipe Esteves (10-2)
Last time out, Mark Grey’s perfect record was shattered and he suffered not only his first loss, but a knockout loss as well. Grey took on one of the trickiest bantamweights in the regional scene on short notice and unfortunately suffered the consequences. Grey looks to remind people just how dangerous he is at CFFC 138.
Coming off a loss, Grey will have another big challenge ahead of him. Felipe Esteves is not an easy fight for anyone. Esteves is a submission specialist and has finished plenty of fights with his ground attacks. For either fighter, a win here could go a long way in terms of career aspirations as both have proved themselves to be a true force to be reckoned with.
Cage Warriors 182: Wilson vs Lilley
- Where to Watch: UFC FightPass
- Start Time: Prelims – 6:30pm PST | Main Card – 8pm PST
- Date: Friday, December 13th 2024
Cage Warriors stays busy as always and is set to send off 2024 with their promotional return to San Diego, California after a very successful event there back in June of this year. The Sycuan Casino and Resort will host this heavily anticipated night of fights once again. The current lineup of fights seems very promising to deliver!
Main Event
- Damon Wilson (7-2) vs Ryan Lilley (12-10)
Two local California based featherweights will headline this card in front of their very own hometown fans. The crowd will be very excited as once again, we have a clash between two of their local fighters. Damon Wilson has fought for Cage Warriors for the entirety of his career and has built a large fanbase as a result of his exciting fighting style. His opponent, Ryan Lilley, is also a fun fighter to watch because he can win from anywhere inside of the cage. This fight is most likely going to be a striking heavy affair with some wrestling mixed in, but a knockout finish is very likely.
Co-Main Event
- Anthony Orozco (4-0) vs Dominico Salas (2-1)
Anthony Orozco is another fighter who has been with Cage Warriors since his professional debut. Orozco has finished 75% of his opponents, rarely seeing the judges scorecards. He’s a hungry fighter who looks for the finish and shows aggression throughout. His opponent, Dominicio Salas has a 100% finish rate and has finished both of his professional wins in the very first round. Here, we will see a clash between two young prospects who have shown their abilities early on. Both fighters are true finishers so don’t expect to see the scorecards in this co-main event.
PFL Europe Championship: Abdouraguimov vs Staropoli
- Where to Watch: DAZN
- Start Time: 11AM EST
- Date: Saturday, December 14th 2024
One of the biggest stars in the PFL and arguably the face of the promotion built herself up in this European section of the PFL. Dakota Ditcheva recently won the global season, but before this she competed in the PFL European series. The PFL will crown multiple champions and award them large amounts of money just like they did recently for the global chapter in Saudi Arabia. It’s the official season finale of the PFL 2024 season!
Main Event
- Abdoul Abdouraguimov (18-1) vs Laureano Staropoli (13-6)
“The Lazy King” Abdoul Abdouraguimov has been red-hot, winning nine of his last ten bouts. His aggressive grappling style has worked wonders for Abdouraguimov to this point. Across eighteen professional victories, he has finished twelve of his opponents via submission.
Laureano Staropoli is aware of his opponent’s submission rate and is much more comfortable keeping the fight on the feet. If Staropoli can stuff the takedowns and stay off the mats, he will be able to work and land his shots. This is one of those fights where it’s all about executing the game plan. If “The Lazy King” can get the fight to the ground and use his grappling, it could be a long night for Staropoli.
