Claiming he offered to fight the unbeaten, Shavkat Rakhmonov on short-notice at UFC 310, Colby Covington — a former interim welterweight champion, claims a pairing with the finishing ace would be more than an “easy” fight for him if it was penned.
Covington, who still retains the number six rank in the welterweight division, has been sidelined since returning to the Octagon back in December of last year in a title grudge fight with former gold holder, Leon Edwards.
And dropping his third defeat in an undisputed welterweight title fight, Clovis native, Covington claimed he offered to replace an injury-striken Belal Muhammad and take on Rakhmonov in a short-notice interim title affair at UFC 310 next month.
Colby Covington claims he offered to fight Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310
“I was excited at the opportunity to step in there,” Colby Covington told Submission Radio about potentially fighting at UFC 310. “But you know, it looks like they’re going a different route. They’re going to go with the potentially with the (Kamaru) Usman and ‘Sh*trat’ fight and you know good on them that that’s okay. You know I’m right there still. Anyways you know I beat someone I’m right back in the conversation. So you know I would love that. You know they could they know they can call me on a week’s notice and I’m stepping up to the plate.”
And while claiming he was in talks to take on the surging Australian favorite, Jack Della Maddalena as soon as the opening quarter of next year, Colby Covington claimed he would likely offer the undefeated, Rakhmonov a totally different puzzle to solve if they shared the Octagon next.
“I think I can walk him (Shavkat Rakhmonov) down and pressure him and he’s not going to like my pressure,” Colby Covington explained. “He doesn’t do very well with southpaws. We saw how he did with the busboy, Geoff Neal. So that was a very competitive fight. So, you know, he hasn’t really fought. He hasn’t fought a top, top contender yet. He, you know, he’s fought some gatekeepers in the division.”
“Some guys right on the cusp of the top ten. But he’s never fought a champion like me and a guy who’s just going to come at him for five straight rounds and just walk him down. So I think I match up well with him. He stands very tall. I don’t know, I don’t see anything special with him.”
“You know, he has some good submissions. He’s slick, but that’s when he can control the wrestling. He’s not going to control the wrestling on me. So, you know, I think I can beat him pretty easily. And I think it’s a favorable fight. And it’s a fight that I want in the future. Whether he wins or loses, you know, in December.”