Chael Sonnen has made some unexpected comments after cornering Colby Covington at UFC Tampa.
Covington’s hopes for a potential fourth UFC welterweight title shot were dashed at UFC Tampa. After enduring a brutal beating from Joaquin Buckley over the first two rounds, Covington’s fight ended in the third when an Octagon-side doctor examined a severe gash above his right eye and ruled him unfit to continue.
Buckley extended his unbeaten record at welterweight, while Covington suffered his second consecutive loss since his return. Before UFC Tampa, Covington had lost to Leon Edwards for the UFC welterweight title at UFC 296.
Following the doctor’s stoppage, UFC President Dana White raised doubts about the decision, suggesting that the fight would not have been halted in Las Vegas. As the doctor and referee discussed Covington’s injury, the doctor warned that the welterweight was close to losing his eyelid.
Sonnen, who appeared surprised in Covington’s corner for UFC Tampa, offered a different perspective on the controversial stoppage, which might surprise many fight fans.
Chael Sonnen Reveals He Was Ready to Stop Colby Covington’s Fight at UFC Tampa
In a post-fight video on his YouTube channel, Chael Sonnen revealed that he was moments away from stepping in to stop the fight on Colby Covington’s behalf, just before the doctor’s decision.
“Colby was getting hit with everything, he’s bleeding so badly that the doctor had to check it three times,”
“Twice, he let the fight continue, but on the third time, he said, ‘Man, we can’t keep going.’ I was ready to stop the fight; I had already grabbed the towel.”
Channel Sonnen then went on to describe his thought process during the third doctor’s examination of the eye by saying;
“I’m watching the blood, and it’s not stopping. It’s going into the eye, and that’s the key issue. As fight fans, as ‘tough guys,’ we often think the doctor shouldn’t stop it unless it’s a massive cut. But when it goes into the eye, that’s the danger. It doesn’t matter how severe the cut is; if it’s affecting the vision, it’s a problem. I said, ‘Hand me that towel, I’m stopping this.’”
Sonnen’s admission is particularly surprising given the controversy surrounding the stoppage. Had Sonnen thrown in the towel himself and ended the fight, he would have likely faced significant scrutiny and backlash over the decision to halt the main event.
Sonnen’s Role in Colby Covington’s Corner and Uncertain UFC Future After Loss to Buckley
Sonnen and Covington have been close friends for years, with their bond rooted in the shared background from Oregon. While the extent of Sonnen’s involvement in Covington’s training camp for UFC Tampa remains unclear, he was the primary voice in Covington’s corner during the event.
Following his defeat to Buckley, Covington’s record over his last six fights stands at 2-4, including two title fight defeats to Kamaru Usman. He is now 0-3 in lineal UFC title bouts, after falling to Leon Edwards in December 2023.
Covington’s most recent victory came against former teammate and friend Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272. After a period of high activity early in his career, his fight frequency has slowed considerably, with only one appearance per year since 2019.
Covington’s future in the UFC appears uncertain after his defeat to Buckley, as do his hopes of another title shot. However, regardless of what the future holds, Sonnen is likely to remain a key figure in Covington’s inner circle moving forward.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
