UFC Tampa: Buckley fires shots at Covington over training dodge

Joaquin Buckley has called out Colby Covington ahead of UFC Tampa this Sunday (AEDT), saying the veteran fighter refused to train with him when he was an up-and-coming welterweight.

The pair will clash in the main event of the UFC Fight Night this weekend, with Buckley heavily favoured at -277.78 with UFC bookmakers.

Buckley’s comments come after Covington dismissed the No.9 contender as a “nobody” who he had never crossed paths with before.

“Why you lying, Colby? Why you lying?” Buckley said on Wednesday.

“That’s the funniest thing. We’ve done already met each other before.

“This will be our third time meeting each other if we get to face off.”

Buckley explained that the pair had trained at the same facility in 2019, but Covington never took him up on an offer to spar together.

“When I trained out in Miami with MMA Masters, this was right before he had the fight with Kamaru Usman,” he said.

“Before I met him, I knew that he trained down there, I didn’t know what to expect. I had only known him from all the stuff that he does on camera.

“But when I saw him, just a chill dude. He was like, ‘What’s up man?’ and I’m like, ‘How you doing, bro?’ Just a basic guy.

“Eventually, I was like I can help you out with this Kamaru Usman fight, I think we should get some rounds in, get some training in.

“He said, ‘Oh man I would love that, that would be cool.’

“Funny thing about it, it just never happened.”

Buckley believes Covington avoided training with him because he did not want to be challenged.

“He just didn’t want to work,” he continued.

“The thing about Colby Covington, he kind of runs his own career, and he likes to work comfortable.

“That’s where I feel like he lost those big fights because he was always training comfortable.

“He didn’t want to train with guys that are going to push him.”

Covington is priced at +225 across MMA betting sites to defeat Buckley in Florida, with the 36-year-old having lost three of his last five fights in the UFC.

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