Colby is interim champion, BMF champion and No.1-ranked guy - Chael Sonnen questions the upside to Colby Covington fighting Khamzat Chimaev

Chael Sonnen (left), Khamzat Chimaev (top), Colby Covington (bottom) [Photo credit: YouTube.com]

Chael Sonnen thinks fighting Khamzat Chimaev isn't worth Colby Covington's while.

UFC president Dana White revealed in the lead-up to UFC 273 that the promotion is looking to pair the two welterweight stars up if Chimaev wins – which he did. However, Sonnen doesn't believe there's enough upside for 'Chaos' to take the fight.

During a recent episode of his YouTube show, Sonnen argued:

"I'm only asking you, 'For what?' There's a point in your career where [it's] because to compete, for nothing else. But when you start winning main events and you start winning main events like Colby just did... You're the interim champion, you never lose, [and] they take your belt away. You beat the 'BMF' champ [but] they never put the strap around you. In all fairness, at some point, Colby is gonna have to put his foot down."

'The American Gangster' asserted that Covington needs to get an assurance that a title shot is on the line before accepting such an offer. The former multi-time UFC title challenger furthered:

"I don't know how you're going to get Colby, who is ranked No.1. Everybody ranked No.1 gets to fight for a world championship except Colby Covington. So what do you give that guy? You're gonna put him in the main event, now he's going to 25 minutes [against Chimaev]? Twenty-five minutes with Chimaev... Chimaev and Colby, because of the way they fight, 25 minutes changes your life."

Check out Chael Sonnen's take below:

Khamzat Chimaev opens as slight favorite against Colby Covington

Khamzat Chimaev is favored to beat Colby Covington should they meet in the octagon. However, oddsmakers are only giving 'Borz' a slight advantage over the one-time welterweight interim champion.

Heading into his clash with Gilbert Burns, the Chechen-born Swede was pegged as a prohibitive favorite with 3-1 odds. Given the difficulty Chimaev had with Burns, though, it appears that the oddsmakers are recalibrating their expectations.

Khamzat Chimaev opens as the favourite in a potential fight with Colby Covington:

Khamzat Chimaev -125 (4/5)
Colby Covington +105 (21/20)

(odds via @betonline_ag) 👀 https://t.co/og5BnvudvK

Chimaev is currently listed as a -125 favorite on BetOnline, leaving Covington as the +105 underdog. The betting site also updated its forecast on a potential Kamaru Usman vs. Chimaev matchup, with the odds currently at -200 for Usman and +170 for Chimaev.