Colby Covington is one of the top-ranked UFC welterweights. However, he has often been criticized for his inactivity and for picking and choosing his fights. Ahead of his title shot at UFC 296, Covington has once again been criticized for the same.
For those unaware, ‘Chaos‘ is all set to challenge welterweight champion Leon Edwards later this month. Following a lengthy layoff, Covington is set to get his third title shot in five fights. As a result, fellow welterweights and some fans are very dissatisfied with the UFC’s matchmaking.
Speaking to Brett Okamoto from ESPN, Colby gave his justification for the matchup. “You think Hunter Campbell, Dana White would put me in this position to be the UFC welterweight number one contender if I was turning down fights?” Further, the two-time title challenger added, “No, I accepted every single fight they offered. Khamzat Chimaev, Dustin Poirier, whoever else they had, didn’t matter, I said yes, yes, yes”.
Thus, according to Colby Covington, he deserves to be in the position he is in, owing to his willingness to stay active. Notably, his beef with the likes of Dustin Poirier and Khamzat Chimaev is well known. However, no fight with either of them has ever materialized. As such, many have been growing agitated with Colby, for reasons seemingly out of his control.
Colby Covington does not have any wins against the welterweight top 15
Although Colby Covington has had his say on the matter, there is no real way to say if it is really true. For one, if Dustin Poirier or Khamzat Chimaev were in fact scheduled to fight and then pulled out, Covington would have said something at the time. Notably, both fighters were very keen to fight the former interim champ, so for them to turn the fight down would have been quite strange.
In the past, Colby has talked a lot of trash to both ‘The Diamond’ and ‘Borz‘. Thus, many felt as though a fight with either would have eventually transpired. Instead, many feel as though ‘Chaos’ has strategically taken time away to get the title shot straight away. However, with no other way to verify Covington’s statements, fans will have to take everything with a pinch of salt.
Despite this, some will still point out the fact that Covington has no wins over active welterweights in the top 15. In the past, Colby has had some great scalps, including those of Tyron Woodley, Demian Maia, Robbie Lawler, and more. With that said, none of these fighters are active anymore. Even his last win against Jorge Masvidal is no longer valid owing to the latter’s retirement earlier in 2023.
As such, he has often been criticized for not fighting anyone in the welterweight rankings, including Dustin Poirier and Khamzat Chimaev, who are in the lightweight and middleweight divisions, respectively. At the same time, it is not to say that Colby Covington is not an incredibly skilled fighter. Now 35, many feel that Covington is nearing the end of his career. Thus, if he were to retire, many would have liked to see him fight a lot more than he has.