Brett OkamotoDec 15, 2024, 01:51 AM ET

Brett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: "Chuck and Tito," which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.

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There's a new era of welterweights taking over the UFC, and Joaquin Buckley is undeniably one of them.

Buckley (21-6) extended his winning streak to six Saturday with a third-round TKO of former interim champion Colby Covington (17-5). The 170-pound bout, which headlined the UFC's final card of 2024 in Tampa, Florida, was called at the 4:42 mark of the round when a cageside physician stopped it because of a cut over Covington's right eye.

Immediately after the win, Buckley asked the crowd inside Amalie Arena whom it wanted to see him fight next, offering Leon Edwards, Kamaru Usman and current champion Belal Muhammad as options.

"I think it's Kamaru Usman," Buckley said after weighing the crowd's reaction.

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Usman, 37, has not fought since October 2023 and does not currently have an opponent scheduled.

Covington, 36, accepted Saturday's bout on short notice when Buckley's original opponent, Ian Machado Garry, was moved to a five-round bout against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 last week. Covington has been a mainstay in the UFC's welterweight rankings for years but is 1-3 in his past four fights. His most recent win came against Jorge Masvidal in March 2022.

Ever the entertainer, Covington walked out with pro wrestling superstar Hulk Hogan and former UFC star Chael Sonnen, now an ESPN analyst, but he looked flat inside the Octagon. According to UFC Stats, he landed 71 strikes to Buckley's 81, but there wasn't much behind them. He tried to take Buckley down throughout the fight but was held to one takedown on eight attempts.

Buckley, of St. Louis, looked sharp on the feet, mixing in punches to Covington's body and head. He dropped Covington with a right hand at the end of the first round and might have secured a knockout had the bell not saved Covington moments later. He also opened the cut over Covington's right eye, which would eventually end the fight, in the opening round.

Covington is part of a generation of welterweights who appears to be in the twilight of their careers. Usman has lost three in a row. Masvidal, one of the most popular welterweights of the past decade, retired from MMA last year but has announced plans for a comeback at age 40. The likes of Rakhmonov, Machado Garry, Jack Della Maddalena and now Buckley have been either replacing them in the rankings or gaining ground.

Buckley finishes 2024 with a 3-0 record, including knockouts of Covington and Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson.