Since his feud with Jorge Masvidal turned ugly and culminated in a fight outside a Miami restaurant, Colby Covington has been oddly silent for almost a year. Covington has been contacted by top-ranked opponents, but he has not yet scheduled a bout.
In his previous fight, Covington defeated bitter rival Masvidal at UFC 272 last year, showcasing his outstanding cardio and high-octane offence. It appeared that a matchup with Khamzat Chimaev was in the works, but it eventually didn’t happen because, according to “Borz,” the former temporary champion was avoiding him.
Belal Muhammad recently criticised Covington for continuing to decline a fight with him in a similar manner.
Uncertainty surrounds who will challenge welterweight champion Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman in their trilogy match at UFC 286 next month.
Due to an alleged incident that occurred in March of last year, Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal are currently involved in legal disputes. It is unknown when he will resume fighting and who he will face.
Khamzat Chimaev slams Colby Covington for avoiding him
Khamzat Chimaev appears to be becoming impatient because he has no opponent to confront. The Swedish fighter of Chechen descent has been urging a duel with Colby Covington for about a year now, but to no avail. Although Chimaev has shown clear signs that he intends to permanently go to middleweight, he recently criticised Covington for ignoring him.
The No. 3 welterweight was questioned by Red Corner MMA about his upcoming fight, to which he responded as follows:
“The same is true for me. They initially claimed it to be Colby Covington. We have been waiting for six months. He doesn’t appear to desire it. All of them criticise me, but as soon as the UFC tries to set up the fight, they flee. I believe that the winner of [Kamaru] Usman vs. [Leon] Edwards III will compete against me.”
Since defeating Kevin Holland via first-round submission at UFC 279, Khamzat Chimaev hasn’t competed. He recently challenged Robert Whittaker and is trying to move up to the top of the middleweight category, likely targeting the victor of the next championship rematch between Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya.
