By The Numbers: Colby Covington vs. Joaquin Buckley

A challenge of considerable difficulty awaits longtime Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight contender Colby Covington in his return from an extended absence.

“Chaos” will lock horns with Joaquin Buckley in his first assignment in nearly a year when their five-round showdown headlines UFC on ESPN 63 this Saturday at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Covington steps back into the spotlight having alternated wins and losses in each of his past five appearances. The onetime NCAA All-American wrestler last competed at UFC 296, where he dropped a unanimous decision to Leon Edwards in a failed bid to capture the undisputed welterweight crown on Dec. 16. Buckley, meanwhile, has rattled off four consecutive victories. He last saw action on Oct. 5, when he punched out Stephen Thompson in the third round of their UFC 307 encounter.

As Covington and Buckley approach their looming confrontation at 170 pounds, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:

36: Years of age for Covington, who was born on Feb. 22, 1988 in Clovis, California. George Michael’s “Father Figure,” Pet Shop Boys’ “What Have I Done to Deserve This,” Patrick Swayze’s “She’s Like the Wind,” Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” and Eric Carmen’s “Hungry Eyes” were the Top 5 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 list at the time.

4: Covington victories by submission, accounting for 24% of his career total (17). His methods of choice: two rear-naked chokes and two arm-triangle chokes. Covington owns four other victories by knockout or technical knockout (24%) and nine more by decision (52%).

69: Takedowns completed by Covington as a UFC welterweight, placing him second on the promotion’s all-time list at 170 pounds. Only Georges St. Pierre has secured more (87).

12: Consecutive calendar years in which Covington has fought at least once. He went 3-0 in 2012, 1-0 in 2013, 3-0 in 2014, 1-1 in 2015, 3-0 in 2016, 2-0 in 2017, 1-0 in 2018, 1-1 in 2019, 1-0 in 2020, 0-1 in 2021, 1-0 in 2022 and 0-1 in 2023.

.778: Cumulative winning percentage between the three men—Edwards, Kamaru Usman (twice) and Warlley Alves—who have beaten Covington. They boast a combined record of 56-16.

30: Years of age for Buckley, who was born in St. Louis on April 27, 1994. “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” “Bad Girls,” “Cops and Robbersons,” “The Paper” and “D2: The Mighty Ducks” were the Top 5 movies at the domestic box office at the time.

14: Buckley wins by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 70% of his career total (20). His list of UFC victims: Thompson, Vicente Luque, Andre Fialho, Albert Duraev, Antonio Arroyo, Jordan Wright and Impa Kasanganay. Buckley holds six other wins by decision (30%).

102: Significant strikes by which Buckley has outlanded the opposition during his current four-fight winning streak. He has connected on 243 such strikes while absorbing only 141 of them in return.

68: Seconds needed for Buckley to put away Chris Harris with punches under the Legacy Fighting Alliance banner on Sept. 13, 2019. More than five years later, it remains his fastest finish to date.

109: Combined victories between the six men—Chris Curtis, Nassourdine Imavov, Alessio Di Chirico, Kevin Holland, Logan Storley and Jackie Gosh—who have defeated Buckley. They sport a .732 cumulative winning percentage at 109-40.