Top UFC contender Khamzat Chimaev will be returning to the octagon to make his debut in the middleweight division against another fan favorite, Paulo Costa, at UFC 294. Interestingly, Colby Covington, a prominent welterweight fighter, disclosed in a recent interview that the UFC had originally intended for him to face the undefeated Swedish fighter.
Colby does not like to mince words when he is talking, and he did not do that this time around either, as he called Khamzat a “dog-faced looking motherf****r.” ‘Chaos’ is supposed to face UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards at UFC 296 in December of this year, and after the much-awaited announcement of their fight, he appeared in a bunch of interviews.
Recently he appeared in an interview with James Lynch, the welterweight fighter was asked about Khamzat Chimaev’s decision to move up to the middleweight division of the UFC. Covington did not have many nice things to say about the Swedish fighter as he exclaimed, “Of course, he’s not in my division. He ran from me. That dog-faced-looking motherf***er was scared sh*tless”.
He further bashed Khamzat for his lack of professionalism, as he is infamous for missing weight. He was supposed to face Nate Diaz at UFC 279, but the fight was called off after ‘Borz’ weighed 7.5 lbs more than the welterweight limit allowed for a non-title fight. The card was then reshuffled, and Khamzat fought welterweight veteran Kevin Holland in a catchweight fight.
The former interim welterweight champion also shared that the UFC was doing all that it could to schedule a bout between him and Chimaev. However, he blamed the latter for the fight between them not being able to materialize.
Colby Covington plans to move up to the middleweight division
Shortly after the official announcement of his title fight against Leon Edwards at UFC 296, Colby Covington began strategizing for his future as a potential champion. On December 16, he will make his third attempt to get hold of the UFC welterweight crown, having previously fallen short in two encounters with former champ Kamaru Usman.
With Edwards securing consecutive victories over Kamaru Usman, Covington has emerged as the next in line for a title shot, which has left other contenders feeling disappointed. However, Colby has now expressed his desire to become the two-division champ by challenging Sean Strickland for the middleweight belt if he is able to beat Edwards.
So, it would be safe to say that the next few months will be really exciting for the MMA fans out there. What do you think about this bold statement by Colby Covington? Let us know in the comments.