Recently, Colby Covington, the previous UFC Interim Welterweight Champion, shared his opinion about a potential clash with Israel Adesanya.
“The Last Stylebender” has regained his position at the top of the middleweight division by defeating his long-time rival Alex Pereira at UFC 287.
It has been reported that the current two-time UFC Middleweight Champion is keen on returning to the Octagon soon and has a few potential opponents in mind, including Pereira, Robert Whittaker, and Dricus du Plessis.
On the other hand, Colby is set to challenge the current UFC Welterweight Champion, Leon Edwards, later this year. Before his previous title challenge at 170lbs in UFC 268, “Chaos” had expressed his desire to move up to 185lbs to face Adesanya.
However, Covington was ultimately defeated by Adesanya’s friend, then-welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, at the event via unanimous decision.
Nearly two years after his defeat, it appears that Colby is still determined to conquer both the welterweight and middleweight divisions.
In a recent interview with MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck, Colby was asked about his interest in potentially facing Israel Adesanya. With confidence, Covington stated that he could take Adesanya down and utilize his high-level cardio to apply pressure.
This comes as no surprise, given Covington’s reputation as a pressure fighter who enjoys taking fights into deep waters with his wrestling.
Colby went on to explain that he believes Adesanya’s striking is overrated, and he’s not afraid to stand and trade with him. However, he believes that Israel’s ground game is weak and would be his downfall in a potential matchup.
Colby Covington is banking on his impressive stamina
Covington has always been known for his elite wrestling, and he believes that he can use it to control Adesanya and wear him down over five rounds.
While Colby has his sights set on challenging Leon Edwards for the welterweight title, a potential matchup with Adesanya would undoubtedly be an exciting one for fans.
It remains to be seen if the fight will ever come to fruition, but if it does, fans can expect a high-paced, action-packed battle between two of the UFC’s most talented fighters.
“Absolutely [I’d still love that matchup], I think that’s a huge fight and it’s a fight of high magnitude,” Covington said. “I like the matchup, to be honest, I don’t think he can hang with me. I think I take him down, I beat him from pillar to post and I just break him inside that octagon. He can’t hang with the cardio king. He’s not ready for raw American steel and twisted sex appeal.”
Currently, Covington’s attention needs to be directed towards his upcoming bout against Leon Edwards, whom he has nicknamed ‘Rocky’. Edwards accomplished what Colby could not by defeating Usman twice to earn the undisputed welterweight title.
Their highly anticipated fight is scheduled to take place later this year. Covington must remain focused on this challenge before considering any future matchups.
What are your thoughts regarding this? Let us know in the comment section below.
