Colby Covington unveils Chael Sonnen as head coach ahead of return against Joaquin Buckley at UFC Tampa

Colby Covington has a new head coach ahead of his return at UFC Tampa.

Covington is set to take on Joaquin Buckley on Saturday night at UFC Tampa in a pivotal welterweight bout. It’s Covington’s first fight since he suffered a decision loss to Leon Edwards last year for the welterweight title.

Since that fight, Covington hasn’t said much, and ahead of this bout, it’s been revealed he’s made some changes to his camp. At the ceremonial weigh-ins, he revealed that UFC legend Chael Sonnen is his new head coach.

Oregon's Finest 😮‍💨@ChaelSonnen will be behind @ColbyCovMMA on Saturday night!

[ #UFCTampa is LIVE on @ESPNPlus | 10pmET ] pic.twitter.com/f2Rm9SFnWq

— UFC (@ufc) December 13, 2024

“I’m going to have my head coach and role model be speaking for me tonight,” Covington said, before Chael Sonnen took the mic.

“I came to tell you when you are the greatest fighter in the world, they have a name for you. They don’t call you a great fighter, they call you ‘Chaos’ Covington, only in the Octagon 10 o’clock Eastern, 7 Pacific, and only on ESPN,” Sonnen added.

Chael Sonnen being Colby Covington’s coach for this fight is interesting. Covington had been training at MMA Masters but he now decided to work with Sonnen.

Colby Covington sends warning to Joaquin Buckley at UFC Tampa

With a new coach under his belt, Colby Covington has sent a warning to Joaquin Buckley at UFC Tampa.

Entering the fight, Covington vows to break Buckley and show the world how good he is.

“I’m going to break this kid in half, I’m going to break every bone in his body, he’s never going to be the same after December 14. He has no idea, he’s never fought or faced anyone like me. It’s going to be a tough night for him,” Covington said on UFC Journey… “I know I’m so much better than that. Now, it’s about coming back and giving the fans a real treat of who Colby ‘Chaos’ Covington. People have tried to write me off, and now it’s about re-writing all those wrongs.”

Covington is 17-4 as a pro and coming off the loss to Leon Edwards for the welterweight title.