A change of plans for the interim welterweight title fight between Rafael dos Anjos and Colby Covington.
So much for Colby Covington going back to Brazil.
During the UFC’s 25th Anniversary Press Conference on Friday, officials announced that the interim welterweight title fight between Covington and Rafael dos Anjos will actually co-headline UFC 225 in Chicago on June 9th, as opposed to previous reports of the fight taking place at May 12th’s UFC 224 in Rio de Janeiro.
Covington’s last trip to Brazil saw fans throw trash his way after an ugly post-fight interview following his win over Demian Maia. The remarks included calling the country “a dump” and describing Brazilians as “filthy animals.”
“I’m the King of Brazil,” Covington said at the 25th Anniversary Press Conference. “I owe it to the fans of Brazil to go back there and put on a show for them. Brazil wasn’t ready for me, so Dana had to put it in the U.S.”
In case you’re wondering why an interim title has been made, UFC president Dana White said that reigning champion Tyron Woodley won’t be available until August, which would make for more than a year between title defenses.
“He’s injured,” White said of Woodley (via MMA Fighting). ”He’s been out for awhile. We’ve been trying to get him to fight. He’s not taking any fights. He sent us a doctor’s note from the best shoulder specialist in the country, who said he’s out til August. We’re not going to be in a position where we jam up a division, so we’re going to do the fight.”
UFC 225’s main event is a middleweight championship rematch between Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero. As for UFC 224, the main card bout order is set, with a women’s bantamweight title match between Amanda Nunes and Raquel Pennington serving as the headliner, and Ronaldo Souza vs. Kelvin Gastelum as the co-main event.