Joaquin Buckley vows to take over welterweight division in 2025 following dominant UFC Tampa win over Colby Covington

Joaquin Buckley made a statement at UFC Tampa, and he’s hoping it’s a sneak preview of things ahead next year.

In the final UFC event of 2024, Buckley took on former interim UFC welterweight titleholder Colby Covington. The fight headlined UFC Tampa inside Amalie Arena. Buckley allowed his standup to shine thanks to his solid takedown defense. Covington struggled to deal with the striking skills of “New Mansa” despite having a sturdy chin.

In round three, the Octagon side doctor believed the cut Covington sustained on his eyelid was too deep and Buckley was awarded the TKO finish.

RELATED: PROS REACT AFTER JOAQUIN BUCKLEY TKO’S COLBY COVINGTON AT UFC TAMPA

Joaquin Buckley Planning Massive 2025 After UFC Tampa Victory

Joaquin Buckley kept things short and sweet during his appearance at the UFC Tampa post-fight press conference. Simply put, “New Mansa” is hunting UFC gold in 2025 (h/t MMAJunkie).

“My first main event was a big success,” Buckley told MMA Junkie and others backstage at Amalie Arena. “I feel like the whole card was very successful, getting a lot of knockouts. I feel like my fights shouldn’t have been stopped. It is what it is. You’ve got to protect the fighters. I feel like 2025 is definitely my year and we definitely taking over. With this being said, this is on a six-fight winning streak. I’ve got eight knockouts within the UFC.

“I feel like I’ve done enough to really put myself in a position to, yet again, fight for that title. Even though I know Shavkat (Rakhmonov) is next, blessed to that fight, but if anything happens where Shavkat or Belal (Muhammad) doesn’t step up into the octagon, I want to face them. At the end of the day, we’re going to keep this nice and short, bro. I’m definitely looking to take that throne in 2025, bro. We out.”

Buckley has good reason to feel optimistic going into the new year. Not only is he riding a six-fight winning streak, but he’s also proven to now be a well-rounded contender. Whether or not it’ll be enough to defeat the likes of current UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad and Shavkat Rakhmonov remains to be seen.

One thing’s for sure, and that’s Buckley isn’t lacking confidence.