5 times when a UFC fighter called out an opponent from a different weight class
In the world of the UFC, there are few more powerful things than the art of a good callout. If a fighter can challenge their next opponent right after beating their previous one, then essentially, everyone’s a winner.
While the UFC’s top fighters often choose to call out logical opponents, at times, they instead decide to call out potential foes from a different weight class, looking to mix things up instead.
Whether the idea behind this is to settle a personal feud, or simply to make money, sometimes these callouts work. Other times, they seem simply bizarre.
With that in mind, here are five times when a UFC fighter called out an opponent from a different weight class.
#5. Colby Covington – UFC welterweight contender
We begin with the most recent example of a UFC star calling out a fighter from a different weight class. We’re only a couple of weeks removed from former welterweight title challenger Colby Covington challenging former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier.
The callout took place after Covington’s impressive win over Jorge Masvidal earlier this month. On the face of it, a battle between ‘Chaos’ and ‘The Diamond’ at some point in the near future makes perfect sense.
Colby Covington calls out Dustin Poirier after his victory 🗣️
@espnmma | #UFC272 https://t.co/VgcEqKhrmf
The two fighters have been sniping at one another on social media for some time now, dating back to Covington’s expulsion from American Top Team in early 2020.
Allegedly, Poirier complained about Covington’s behavior to the team’s top brass, to which ‘Chaos’ responded by calling him a “doofus,” before releasing some sparring footage that appeared to show ‘The Diamond’ mistreating an amateur fighter.
⚖️ #AndNew #UFC264The guy wearing full nerf gear head to toe to protect his face and his feelings is Poirier. The guy with no headgear, wrestling credentials or brain cells left is “khabib.” @DustinPoirier Good guy? Bad guy? You be the judge👨⚖️ #AndNew #UFC264 https://t.co/EMMFwC2b4E
However, while there’s clearly an existing feud between these two, there’s an obvious caveat to Covington’s callout of his former teammate: Poirier has never fought above 155 pounds before, while ‘Chaos’ has never fought below 170 pounds.
In this instance, though, the UFC may choose to overlook the fact that Covington has called out a smaller foe and simply book the fight anyway. It’s too big of a rivalry to ignore and Poirier is a big enough lightweight to be able to match ‘Chaos’ for size if he doesn’t cut any weight.
With both men now out of their respective title pictures, this is one ‘superfight’ that does make sense, so expect to see it perhaps later in 2022.