Colby Covington says fighting Islam Makhachev after Leon Edwards is a 'very real possibility'
Colby Covington opened up about a potential bout with reigning lightweight champion Islam Makhachev should he successfully retain his title.
While speaking to MMA Fighting, Covington shared his thoughts on possibly fighting Makhachev and the likelyhood of the fight actually materializing. He mentioned that despite the two competing in different weight-divisions, the he believes that it is a possibility.
He said:
"I think it's a very realistic possibility, Mike. You know, there was conversations backstage in the past that were had about that and if I could make 155[lbs]. Cause I'm not a big 170[pounder], I don't cut much weight, 15lbs-20lbs max, you know, with I'm just completely eating as much as I want, stuffing my face." [6:00 - 6:18]
'Chaos' also brought up that both himself and the lightweight champion likely walk around at the same weight. He took a shot at Makhachev and mentioned that the reason he cuts to lightweight is to have an advantage against smaller opponents, saying:
"He's just a weight bully. He's cutting all that weight to get the advantage at lightweight cause there's no wrestlers, there's no guys that could give him any trouble. So, of course he wants to be in that division, the same division his daddy Khabib used to own...There's a reason Khabib never came to 170[lbs] and fought welterweights." [6:20 - 6:35]
It would be interesting to see whether the lightweight champion decides to challenge Covington should he defeat Leon Edwards to become the new welterweight champion.
Check out the full video:
Colby Covington blasts Leon Edwards for declining the UFC's offer to fight in London
Colby Covington put Leon Edwards on blast after the welterweight champion declined to fight him in London on July 22.
UFC president Dana White had stated that he was in the process of changing the event from a Fight Night to a pay-per-view with the intention of booking Edwards vs. 'Chaos' as the headliner. During the affromentioned interview, the former interim welterweight champion criticized 'Rocky' for turning down the opportunity to fight in his home crowd, saying:
"We [Dana White and I] talked about how he was gonna change it from a ESPN Fight Night to a pay-per-view because he wanted to do right by the fans of London. I mean, those people in the O2 Arena are so passionate, such good fun loving fans...I mean they make the environment just that much better, so he wanted to make good on that." [2:29 - 2:49]
Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington is in the works for UFC 291 on July 22nd in London
First reported by @JustinBarrasso https://t.co/9fZgfKcvUQ