There is currently 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 on Saturday with a third-round TKO of former interim champion Colby Covington (17-5). The 170-pound fight, which headlined the UFC’s final card of 2024 in Tampa, was stopped 4:42 into the round when a cageside doctor stopped it because of a cut above Covington’s right eye.

Immediately after the victory, Buckley asked the Amalie Arena crowd who he wanted to see fight next, offering Leon Edwards, Kamaru Usman and current champion Belal Muhammad as options.

“I think it’s Kamaru Usman,” Buckley said after gauging the crowd’s reaction.

Usman, 37, has not fought since October 2023 and currently has no scheduled opponent.

Covington, 36, accepted the fight on short notice on Saturday 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 fixture in the UFC welterweight rankings for years, but is 1-3 in his last four years. His last win came in March 2022 against Jorge Masvidal.

Ever the entertainer, Covington dated pro wrestling superstar Hulk Hogan and former UFC star Chael Sonnen, now an ESPN analyst, but he looked flat in the Octagon. According to UFC Stats, he managed to land 71 strikes, Buckley had 81, but there wasn’t much behind it. He tried to take Buckley down throughout the fight, but failed on just a single takedown in eight attempts.

Buckley, of St. Louis, looked sharp and delivered blows 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 if the bell hadn’t saved Covington moments later. In the opening round he also opened the cut above Covington’s right eye that would eventually end the fight.

Covington is part of a generation of welterweights that appears to be nearing the end of its career. Usman has lost three times in a row. Masvidal, one of the most popular welterweights of the last decade, retired from MMA last year but has announced plans for a comeback at age 40. Players like Rakhmonov, Machado Garry, Jack Della Maddalena and now Buckley have replaced them in either placings or gaining ground in MMA.

Buckley finishes 2024 with a 3-0 record, including knockouts over Covington and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson.