Colby Covington is back: 'Chao's looks in his element trash-talking Khamzat Chimaev and others at UFC 286 backstage

For the longest time, fight fans have been speculating about Colby Covington's absence from the sport. The American surprised everyone when he weighed in as a backup fighter for the UFC 286 main event fight between Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman.

He was last seen inside the octagon in a grudge match against rival Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272 back in March 2022. During this time, he has also been embroiled in a court case with 'Gamebred' over counts of aggravated battery.

The absence of Colby Covington prompted speculation from other contenders, including Khamzat Chimaev and Belal Muhammad, who said the American shies away from fighting top competition. Needless to say, Covington took notice and marked his return by spewing venom in true 'Chaos' fashion.

Speaking about the "unprofessional" fighters in his division, Colby Covington said:

"That dog-faced motherf**ker c*mshot [Khamzat Chimaev]. He said all these things about me in the media. He had the easiest fight in the division against Nate Diaz and he still missed weight. He missed weight by 9 pounds and he's laughing it off like it's a f*ing Joke. He's a f*ing joke, the guy sucks at fighting he's unprofessional"

Check out the clip below:

Colby Covington on Khamzat Chimaev

"He had the easiest fight in the division against Nate Diaz and he still missed weight. He missed weight by 9 pounds and he's laughing it off like it's a f*ing Joke. He's a f*ing joke, the guy sucks at fighting he's unprofessional"

#UFC286 https://t.co/WDStHbhrZP

He also told the media that he would be willing to fight in the main event of UFC 286 if Dana White approved it.

Colby Covington tells us backstage that's he's more than willing to step in for tonight's main event if Dana White asks him #UFC286

Speaking about how his return and surprise weigh-in videos grabbed headlines, Covington said:

"I hope they [Edwards and Usman] fight their hearts out because now they've got to come and see daddy next. The man who draws all the ratings. Everybody was talking about me this weekend. No one cares about them. They have no charisma."

No prediction tonight, but @ColbyCovMMA is ready for another shot at gold 👀 #UFC286 https://t.co/92M6ztaVFb

During an interview with TheMacLife, Colby Covington also took the opportunity to disparage Belal Muhammad by professing ignorance about him:

"Who? Never heard of him."

Check out the video below:

Colby Covington claims that he's peaking as a fighter and has improved a lot since his last fight

Last year at UFC 272, Colby Covington defeated Jorge Masvidal with a decisive unanimous decision victory in a highly anticipated grudge bout. A few days following the bout, 'Chaos' was reportedly assaulted by Masvidal outside a Miami restaurant.

Despite his involvement in the legal proceedings against 'Gamebred', Colby Covington has been mainly out of the spotlight over the past year. However, he claims to have taken time away from the competition to improve as a fighter. He said:

"I don't really care what happens, whoever's next, that title's coming back to America. I'm finally about to hit my prime, mentally and physically. I feel better than I've ever felt. I have improved a lot and I'm ready to show the world who the greatest fighter of all time is."

Check out the interview below: