Colby Covington has taken purpose at rising UFC star Khamzat Chimaev, calling him a “quitter” and accusing him of steroid abuse. Covington, who had a difficult yr in 2024, made the feedback throughout an interview, questioning Chimaev’s expertise and credibility.
Colby Covington Scorches Khamzat Chimaev
“I wanted that fight for a long time. He ran from the fight, he couldn’t make weight, he was just unprofessional,” Covington mentioned, chatting with Submission Radio. “The guy was juiced, and he quit. The guy was freaking retiring to the common cold. I’m not going to be afraid of someone who’s retiring to the common cold.”
Covington’s feedback come amid a troublesome go for the fighter, who has suffered two consecutive losses, together with a third-round TKO defeat to Joaquin Buckley at UFC Tampa on December 14, 2024. Regardless of the setbacks, Colby Covington remained outspoken, as he has usually been all through his UFC profession.
Whereas Covington has been struggling in latest bouts, Chimaev has been on a tear. The undefeated middleweight contender made headlines together with his dominant first-round submission victory over former UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 308 on October 26, 2024. This win pushed ‘Borz‘ Khamzat Chimaev to the #3 spot within the UFC middleweight rankings and prolonged his skilled report to 14-0.
Nonetheless, Covington believes Chimaev’s success could also be short-lived if he faces the best opponent. “I know I can stop his takedowns and it becomes a striking fight,” Covington acknowledged. ” I don’t know if his cardio can grasp for 5 rounds. We noticed within the Gilbert [Burns] combat how Gilbert uncovered his cardio. He doesn’t have good cardio. Should you can stuff these takedowns within the first or second spherical, get him to deep waters, he’s not that good of a fighter.”
Covington emphasised that if Chimaev is unable to execute early takedowns, his opponents would have an opportunity to defeat him. “If he’s able to get you down in that first takedown, in that first minute or two, yeah, then he’s dangerous, because then he can implement his will on you,” Covington continued. “But if you can stuff those first couple of takedowns, he becomes human, and he becomes a very beatable guy.”
Khamzat Chimaev is most probably going to be combating for a UFC middleweight title in his subsequent bout in opposition to the winner of Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland. The welterweight Colby Covington at present has no booked fights.
