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Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Tampa
Laying Out The Lineup For The Final UFC Event Of 2024
By E. Spencer Kyte, on X @spencerkyte
This Saturday, the UFC closes out its 2024 campaign with a return to Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, for a card headlined by a captivating welterweight clash between multiple-time title challenger Colby Covington and one of the hottest fighters in the division, Joaquin Buckley.
It has been a thoroughly entertaining and eventful year of action inside the UFC cage thus far and Saturday’s finale promises to be a thrilling way to wrap things up, so let’s take a closer look at the matchups that make up this weekend’s fight card in the final installment of the Fight-By-Fight Preview.
Main Event: Colby Covington vs Joaquin Buckley
Three-time title challenger and former interim champ Colby Covington ends his year-long hiatus, stepping up on short-notice to square off with Joaquin Buckley in the final UFC bout of the year.
Covington hasn’t fought since challenging Leon Edwards for the welterweight title last year at UFC 296 in Las Vegas. Though he came up short in that bid (and each of his three title bids), “Chaos” has consistently proven himself to be one of the top contenders and toughest outs in the 170-pound weight class, having gone 16-1 in non-title matchups during his career.
After an uneven run at middleweight, Buckley shifted to the welterweight ranks last year and has been rolling ever since, posting five straight victories to climb into the Top 10. Last time out, “New Mansa” stopped Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson with a leaping right hand that instantly halted their competitive clash at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City.
This is a fascinating clash on multiple levels, and the abbreviated run-up to the fight creates intrigue, as well. Stylistically, it’s a classic “grappler versus striker” pairing where Covington will be hunting for ways to put Buckley on the canvas, while the ascending contender will aim to keep things standing, but it’s also a meeting of fighters at very different stages of their respective careers, with Buckley aiming to rise into the championship conversation for the first time, while Covington hopes to prove he’s still very much in the mix.
No matter how it shakes out, this will be an informative and entertaining clash to close out 2024 inside the Octagon.
Additional Main Card Matchups
Cub Swanson vs Billy Quarantillo
Veteran featherweights Cub Swanson and Billy Quarantillo will share the cage in Tampa in what promises to be an action-packed fight for as long as it lasts.
Fighting for the second time this year, Swanson returns to action looking to rebound from a split decision loss to Andre Fili back in June. The now 41-year-old fan favorite and UFC Hall of Fame member has remained competitive into this late stage of his career, and scored a Fight of the Night bonus the last time the Octagon was set up inside Amalie Arena for his win over Kron Gracie.
An all-action fighter through and through, “Billy Q” has alternated wins and losses over his last eight appearances, all of which were tough assignments that featured highlight reel moments. He was submitted by the returning Youssef Zalal in his first appearance of the year, and will look to keep the pattern intact through one more fight as he aims to rebound here.
Neither of these two men are capable of being in a boring fight and pitting them against one another almost guarantees excitement once the cage door closes. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the fisticuffs when this one kicks off.
Manel Kape vs Bruno Silva
Manel Kape and Bruno Silva tangle in this tantalizing matchup between Top 10 flyweights.
One of the most mercurial and enigmatic fighters on the roster, Kape has the skills to be a contender, but has yet to deliver consistently inside the Octagon, posting a 4-3 mark over his first seven starts. Silva stumbled out of the gates, going winless in each of his first three appearances (though the first was later ruled a no contest), but has been a force since, earning four straight stoppage wins and Performance of the Night bonuses to establish himself as a dark horse in the competitive 125-pound weight class.
Vitor Petrino vs Dustin Jacoby
Vitor Petrino looks to rebound from his first professional loss as he steps in with divisional stalwart Dustin Jacoby this weekend.
A member of the Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) Class of ’22, Petrino posted victories in each of his first four UFC appearances before getting hustled into a matchup with Anthony Smith at UFC 301 in May. A costly mistake on a takedown entry resulted in his getting submitted and bounced from the ranks of the unbeaten, and now it’s time to see how the Cristiano Marcelo protege responses to his first setback.
Jacoby, who has trained alongside Smith in the past at Factory X Muay Thai, arrives in Florida on a two-fight skid and sporting a 1-4 mark over his last five fights. A feel-good story who strung together a lengthy unbeaten streak upon returning to the roster following a long time focusing on kickboxing, it’s been tough sledding for the 36-year-old as of late, as he’s shared the Octagon with more experienced and dangerous foes.
Can Petrino bounce back and get things moving in the right direction again or will Jacoby spin out of his funk and hand the Brazilian prospect a second straight defeat?
Adrian Yanez vs Daniel Marcos
Sound the klaxons! Banger Alert! Banger Alert!
After rocketing into the Top 15 following his breakout effort on the fourth season of Dana White’s Contender Series, Yanez dropped back-to-back contests against ranked veterans Rob Font and Jonathan Martinez in 2023. He returned to action and the win column with a first-round stoppage win over Vinicius Salvador in May, and looks to keep that momentum going as he faces off with his fellow DWCS alum here.
The 31-year-old Marcos enters with an unbeaten 16-0 mark (with one no contest) and is coming off a unanimous decision victory over John Castañeda in Louisville, Kentucky, earlier this year. A member of the Class of ’22, “Soncora” aims to take a major step forward in the division by picking up his fourth UFC win in five starts and closing out the year with consecutive victories.
The competition is always steep in the bantamweight division, which makes opportunities this like critical for each of these men. While a victory isn’t going to carry either one into the rankings, it should set the winner up for a matchup with an even more established and formidable name next time out, so expect both Yanez and Marcos to come out looking to make a lasting impression on Saturday night.
Navajo Stirling vs Tuco Tokkos
Navajo Stirling becomes the latest member of the City Kickboxing team to grace the Octagon as he faces off with Tuco Tokkos in his promotional debut on Saturday.
Stirling, who earned a second-round stoppage win and UFC contract this past season on Dana White’s Contender Series, is 5-0 for his career, with each of the last four coming inside the distance. Tokkos was called into action on short notice in May, losing to Oumar Sy, and looks to get things moving in the right direction again as he takes on another promising member of the light heavyweight class.
Preliminary Card Pairings
Michael Johnson vs Ottman Azaitar
Michael Johnson and Ottman Azaitar square off in what should be a spirited lightweight battle on this weekend’s main card.
A member of the UFC roster since his runner-up finish on Season 12 of The Ultimate Fighter, Johnson had a strong performance earlier this year against Darrius Flowers to get back in the win column and show he’s still got something left in the tank. “The Menace” has fought an impressive strength of schedule over his career and remains a dangerous veteran presence in the 155-pound ranks.
Azaitar earned victories and Performance of the Night bonuses in each of his first two UFC appearances — first-round stoppage wins over Teemu Packalén and Khama Worthy — but has struggled since. After suffering a first-round knockout loss to Matt Frevola at UFC 281 in November 2022, the 34-year-old landed on the wrong end of a first-round finish again last time out, falling to Argentinian prospect Francisco Prado last July in Las Vegas.
Joel Alvarez vs Drakkar Klose
Joel Alvarez and Drakkar Klose face off on Saturday in a battle between two of the more underrated talents in the lightweight division.
The 31-year-old Alvarez is 21-3 overall and has earned finishes in each of his career wins, most recently collecting a third-round stoppage over Elvis Brener to collect his second straight win and move to 6-1 over his last seven UFC appearances. Klose has quietly won four straight and sports an impressive 15-2-1 record overall, and looks to push towards even more high profile pairings by continuing his run of success here.
Sean Woodson vs Fernando Padilla
It’s a meeting of tall, talented featherweights here as Sean Woodson and Fernando Padilla square off.
Woodson has put together a three-fight winning streak, six-fight unbeaten streak, and 7-1-1 mark under the UFC banner, most recently earning a win over Alex Caceres in his hometown of St. Louis back in May. Padilla has alternated wins and loss through his first three UFC outings, posting impressive stoppage wins over Julian Erosa and Luis Pajuelo with a loss to Kyle Nelson on the cards sandwiched in between.
Miles Johns vs Felipe Lima
Circle this one as an intriguing tussle early in the fight card, as Miles Johns ventures up a division to take on promising sophomore Felipe Lima this weekend in Tampa.
Johns has posted consecutive wins and a four-fight unbeaten streak heading into this one, showing the form that made him a highly regarded prospect in the bantamweight ranks. Lima turned a short-notice opportunity into a third-round submission win in his debut, submitting Muhammad Naimov in August in Saudi Arabia to push his winning streak to a baker’s dozen.
Miranda Maverick vs Jamey-Lyn Horth
Miranda Maverick looks to register a third 2024 victory, while Jamey-Lyn Horth looks to make the most of a short-notice opportunity in this intriguing flyweight clash on Saturday’s preliminary card slate.
Maverick has won three straight overall and showed poise in successfully navigating a short notice pairing with Dione Barbosa in July after her original opponent, Tracy Cortez, was swapped into a scrap with Rose Namajunas the previous weekend in Denver. Horth, who steps in for Cortez here, collected a split decision win over Ivana Petrovic in Edmonton at the start of November, and looks to wrap up her year with quality win against her toughest opponent to date.
Davey Grant vs Ramon Taveras
British veteran Davey Grant returns just ahead of his 39th birthday to face off with Floridian Ramon Taveras in what should be an entertaining bantamweight bout early in the night.
Grant’s career has been marred by injuries and he hasn’t fought since his debated split decision loss to Marcos in the summer of 2023, but he remains a game, dangerous veteran in the middle of the bantamweight ranks. Taveras earned a split decision win and a measure of revenge in his UFC 297 bout with DWCS opponent Serhiy Sidey and looks to build off that wildly entertaining debut as he takes a considerable step up in competition here.
Josefine Knutsson vs Piera Rodriguez
Saturday’s action begins in the strawweight division as Josefine Knutsson and Piera Rodriguez kick off the festivities in what should be an entertaining scrap in the 115-pound ranks.
The 28-year-old Knutsson has earned back-to-back wins to begin her UFC tenure, advancing to 8-0 overall with decision victories over Marnic Mann and Julia Polastri. A member of the DWCS Class of ’21, Rodriguez won her first two UFC starts as well, but has dropped each of her last two outings, and looks to close out 2024 by getting things moving in the right direction again.
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