*Joaquin Buckley connects with a devastating head kick on Andre Fialho. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

We have arrived at the final UFC card of the year, taking place at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. You’ll find exciting matchups and excellent fights throughout, from start to finish. Two high-paced brawlers go toe-to-toe in the co-main event when Cub Swanson takes on Billy Quarantillo. In the main event, we’ll see a top-ten matchup of Welterweights when perennial title contender Colby Covington takes on the red-hot Joaquin Buckley. Let’s take a look at the fights on the main card.

Navajo Stirling vs. Tuco Tokkos

*Navajo Stirling lands a cracking jab on Phil Latu. Credit: ESPN.*

Light Heavyweight

Navajo Stirling: 5-0-0, 4 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.

Tuco Tokkos: 10-4-0, 6 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.

Stirling is undefeated and making his UFC debut. He’s a dangerous, talented kickboxer with impressive knockout power. He always remains technical and composed, fighting in an upright stance and constantly pressuring forward. Stirling will constantly fire kicks at range and mix them into combinations without telegraphing. Training at City Kickboxing, he throws everything in combination and is very accurate, throwing every shot with purpose and knockout intentions. He won’t push a heavy pace but puts out solid volume, slowly breaking down his opponents over the course of the fight. Stirling has finished all but one of his professional fights but has solid cardio and can fight comfortably across three rounds.

*Tuco Tokkos fires a front kick at Ty Gwerder. Credit: Cageside Press.*

Tokkos has won three of his last five fights and is looking for his first UFC victory. He’s a well-rounded scrapper who’s always willing to throw down in the pocket. He has heavy hands and is in perpetual motion, never staying in one spot long before blitzing in to throw wide, looping hooks. Tokkos is a solid grappler, possessing a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, powerful takedowns and slams, and heavy top pressure. Training at Kill Cliff FC, he’s comfortable on the feet but will occasionally pursue early takedowns, typically inside the clinch. He favors power to volume and is a great counter striker, regularly catching opponents with punches as he exits the pocket. Tokkos won’t push a heavy pace but is at his most dangerous early on, with six of his eight finishes coming in round one.

Adrian Yañez vs. Daniel Marcos

*Adrian Yanez lands a brutal body punch on Randy Costa. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Bantamweight Bout

Adrian Yañez: 17-5-0, 11 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.

Daniel Marcos: 16-0-0, 8 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.

Yañez has won three of his last five bouts and has UFC victories over Davey Grant (15-7-0), Tony Kelley (8-3-0), and Vinicius Salvador (14-7-0). He’s an excellent technical boxer who pushes a consistent pace and always pursues a knockout. He fights behind his jab, throwing everything with purpose and accuracy but never loading up. Yañez constantly presses forward, throwing from different angles and varying his attacks. Training at Metro Fight Club, he has not attempted a takedown in the UFC but has a black belt in BJJ and has defended 100% of takedowns attempted on him. He always throws in combination, typically doing most of his work with his hands, rarely throwing kicks. Yañez has been awarded five post-fight bonuses in just eight UFC appearances and is never in a boring fight.

*Daniel Marcos blasts Saimon Oliveira with a right hand. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Marcos is undefeated and has UFC victories over Davey Grant (15-7-0), John Castaneda (21-7-0), and Saimon Oliveira (18-5-0). He’s a powerful, accurate striker who’s always coming forward. He has excellent distance management and footwork, regularly moving in and out of the pocket without taking much damage. Marcos always remains technical, keeping his punches tight and straight while never telegraphing or overextending. He has particularly dangerous knees and will constantly mix them into combinations, both to the body and head. Training at American Combat Gym, he won’t typically initiate grappling exchanges but has shown solid takedown defense and is strong in the clinch. Marcos has serious power in his hands and tends to increase his pace as the fight continues, scoring five of his eight knockouts after round one.

Vitor Petrino vs. Dustin Jacoby

*Vitor Petrino loads up a ground and pound elbow on Marcin Prachnio. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Light Heavyweight Bout

Vitor Petrino: 11-1-0, 7 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.

Dustin Jacoby: 19-9-1, 12 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.

Petrino has won four of his last five outings and has UFC victories over Tyson Pedro (10-5-0), Marcin Prachnio (17-8-0), and Modestas Bukauskas (16-6-0). He’s an explosive fighter with devastating power and great grappling. He’s constantly coming forward, typically headhunting and throwing single shots, with enough power in both hands to produce a one-shot KO. Training at CM System, Petrino is at his most dangerous early on, constantly throwing overhands and hooks, favoring power to technique. He is averaging nearly four takedowns landed per fifteen minutes and can be a bit of a panic wrestler, resorting to grappling when he’s losing the striking exchanges. He has heavy top control and brutal ground and pound, averaging about one submission attempted per fifteen minutes. Petrino has surprisingly decent cardio and can push a consistent pace throughout the fight.

*Dustin Jacoby cracks Ion Cutelaba with a devastating left hook. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Jacoby has won one of his last five fights and has UFC victories over Da Woon Jung (15-6-1), Michael Oleksiejczuk (19-9-0), and Kennedy Nzechukwu (14-5-0). He is a former professional kickboxer with a record of 18-8-0, spending time in the premier kickboxing promotion Glory. His experience is visible in his fighting style, possessing excellent footwork and movement, as well as a great variety of attacks. Jacoby is effective both at range and in the pocket but tends to stay at distance where he can use his arsenal of kicks and combinations. Training at FactoryX Muay Thai, his hands seemingly never stop moving, and he is always feinting or throwing punches. He has solid output for a Light Heavyweight but also has excellent cardio, never overexerting himself and keeping the same pace for all 15 minutes. Jacoby is willing to grapple and will occasionally shoot for a takedown but primarily prefers to keep it on the feet where he’s most dangerous.

#9 Manel Kape vs. #13 Bruno Silva

*Manel Kape stuns Felipe dos Santos with a left hook. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Flyweight Bout

Manel Kape: 19-7-0, 11 KO/TKO, 5 Sub.

Bruno Silva: 14-5-2, 6 KO/TKO, 4 Sub.

Kape has won four of his last five bouts and has UFC victories over Ode’ Osbourne (12-8-0), Felipe dos Santos (8-2-0), and David Dvorak (20-6-0). He is a former Rizin Bantamweight champion and is a fantastic, flashy striker. He’s constantly looking to counterstrike, throwing every shot with purpose and deadly accuracy. Kape has excellent distance management, switches stances constantly, and will often blitz in with big shots before returning to range. He has heavy power for a Flyweight and doesn’t telegraph anything, frequently timing his shots when his opponent enters his range. Training at Xtreme Couture, he won’t typically initiate grappling exchanges but has a solid submission game and can be dangerous off his back. Kape takes some time to get going, but once he finds his rhythm, he heats up and lets his hands go.

*Bruno Silva digs a front kick to the body of Cody Durden. Credit: MMA Junkie.*

Silva has won four of his last five outings and has UFC victories over Cody Durden (17-7-1), Tyson Nam (21-14-1), and JP Buys (9-6-0). He’s a well-rounded, explosive fighter who’s dangerous anywhere, anytime. He’s in perpetual motion, regularly firing kicks from range before dipping his head and crashing into the pocket to unload hooks and overhands. Silva varies his attacks well and throws everything with impressive speed and power. He’s a BJJ black belt and is landing, on average, over two takedowns per fifteen minutes in the UFC. Training at American Top Team, he’s dangerous on the mat, possessing excellent submission defense, scrambles, and chokes. He’s earned Performance of the Night bonuses in all his last four wins and always leaves everything inside the cage.

Cub Swanson vs. Billy Quarantillo

*Cub Swanson lands a stinging left hook on Daniel Pineda. Credit: Yahoo Sports.*

Featherweight Bout

Cub Swanson: 29-14-0, 13 KO/TKO, 4 Sub.

Billy Quarantillo: 18-6-0, 8 KO/TKO, 5 Sub.

Swanson has won two of his last five fights and has UFC victories over #2 ranked Lightweight Charles Oliveira (35-10-0), #4 ranked Lightweight Dustin Poirier (30-9-0), and Darren Elkins (29-11-0). Training at Bloodline Combat, he is a UFC mainstay supplying fans with exciting fights for over a decade. He’s an excellent striker known for throwing powerful, looping hooks, devastating leg kicks, and constant forward motion. Swanson has a diverse arsenal of attacks and excellent footwork, remaining elusive throughout the fight. He is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a solid wrestler, often mixing in grappling with his striking. Although capable on the ground, he’s most comfortable on the feet and is more often defending takedowns than pursuing them. Swanson is tied for the most post-fight bonuses in Featherweight history with 10 and always puts on a show.

*Billy Quarantillo pops Damon Jackson with a powerful left hand. Credit MMA Junkie.*

Quarantillo has won two of his last five bouts and has UFC victories over Gabriel Benitez (23-13-0), Alexander Hernandez (15-8-0), and Damon Jackson (23-8-1). He’s a well-rounded scrapper with fantastic cardio and is always willing to throw down. He’s relentless on the feet, always coming forward, throwing leg kicks, and staying behind his jab. Quarantillo is averaging over one takedown landed and one submission attempted per fifteen minutes in his promotional tenure. Training at Gracie Tampa South, he’s a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and strong off his back and top position with excellent scrambles and reversals. He improves as the fight continues and carries his power across all fifteen minutes. He’s landed, on average, 76 significant strikes in his last five fights and constantly pushes the pace.

#6 Colby Covington vs. #9 Joaquin Buckley

*Colby Covington attempts a rear naked choke on Jorge Masvidal. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Welterweight Bout

Colby Covington: 17-4-0, 3 KO/TKO, 5 Sub.

Joaquin Buckley: 20-6-0, 14 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.

Covington has won two of his last five outings and has UFC victories over Rafael Dos Anjos (32-17-0), Robbie Lawler (30-16-0), and Jorge Masvidal (35-17-0). He’s an excellent grappler with exceptional wrestling and top-tier cardio. He’s constantly pressuring forward, fighting behind his jab and throwing in combination. Covington favors volume to power, landing, on average, about 93 significant strikes in his last five fights. Training at MMA Masters, he’s a tenacious wrestler willing to work for takedowns and is very hard to escape from once he’s in top position. He always chooses position over submission and will constantly rain down ground and pound, using a methodical pace to break down his opponents. Covington uses his cardio expertly, reaching the final round in all his last 12 fights.

*Joaquin Buckley lands a brutal right hook on Alex Morono. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Buckley has won three of his last five bouts and has UFC victories over #11 ranked Welterweight Stephen Thompson (17-8-1), #14 ranked Welterweight Vicente Luque (23-10-1), and Nursulton Ruziboev (34-9-2). He is a highly aggressive striker with serious power in both hands. He perpetually moves and pursues a finish, throwing every shot with bad intentions and often mixing in kicks at the end of combinations. Although Buckley throws every shot with power, he does his best work with his kicks, never telegraphing them and constantly throwing them from different angles. Training at Murcielago MMA, he throws everything in combination and pushes a frantic pace, willing to throw wild attacks like flying knees or spinning kicks. His UFC finishes have all come in round 2 or later, so he gets increasingly dangerous as the fight continues. He’s averaging nearly two takedowns landed per fifteen minutes and has decent takedown defense, but he’s most effective on his feet.

Best Bets

Yañez vs. Marcos to Go the Distance: This is an exciting matchup of two excellent strikers. Both are constantly coming forward and willing to engage inside the pocket, always willing to eat a shot to land one. Yañez favors a boxing-heavy style, staying in his opponent’s face with constant pressure and volume. Marcos has a Muay Thai style, utilizing plenty of knees and strikes inside the clinch to supplement his punching combinations. Although undefeated, Marcos has not faced a fighter the caliber of Yañez in the UFC, while Yañez has already fought ranked competition. Both are durable and capable of going three rounds, and I expect a solid back-and-forth throughout the fight. I anticipate a consistent pace throughout, but ultimately, I expect this fight to go to the judges’ scorecards.

Billy Quarantillo Moneyline: A fantastic matchup of two exciting fighters, this fight will surely create highlights. Although not fighting with identical styles, they have similar skill sets and brawling tendencies. Both are black belts in BJJ with excellent submission games and are dangerous strikers, so this fight could play out anywhere. While both push a heavy pace, Swanson is 41 years old and has been in numerous wars across his illustrious UFC career, and has thus absorbed much more damage over time than his opponent. Swanson has also proven much more susceptible to submission losses; although Quarantillo lost his last fight via submission, this was his first loss of the kind, while half of Swanson’s 14 losses came via submission. Ultimately, Quarantillo has youth and a heavier pace on his side, and I expect him to use both to secure a victory on Saturday.

Covington vs. Buckley Over 2.5 Rounds: An intriguing matchup of two vastly different fighters, it’s hard to know what to expect. Buckley is on the best run of his career, riding the momentum of a six-fight win streak that saw three wins by knockout. On the other hand, Covington is coming off his worst UFC performance in a title challenge against Leon Edwards, with his last victory coming over Jorge Masvidal in 2022. Despite recent history, Covington’s style is one Buckley has not faced in his UFC tenure: a pressure-based, tenacious wrestler who’s always coming forward. On paper, Covington has the tools to give Buckley significant issues, but we have no idea what version of Covington will show up on Saturday night. One thing has been sure in both of these men’s fights, and that’s them reaching later rounds: Buckley’s last ten fights have seen at least a second round, whereas Covington’s reached the final round of his last 12 outings. Regardless of the winner or how this fight plays out, I expect at least three rounds of action.

UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Buckley