Colby Covington is still figuring out his next move.
The third attempt at becoming an undisputed UFC welterweight champion against Leon Edwards this didn’t go as planned for Covington this past December. In the UFC 296 main event, “Chaos” returned after an extended absence when he last defeated his bitter rival Jorge Masvidal via a unanimous decision. Unfortunately for Covington, the champion Edwards delivered an equally one-sided result in return with a unanimous decision win of his own.
Covington, 36, has since claimed he broke his foot on the first kick thrown in the bout. Despite the injury, no surgery was required according to the one-time interim titleholder. Covington anticipates a return this summer, hoping to get an Edwards rematch eventually.
“I think that’s when they’re planning for me, International Fight Week,” Covington told TwinsPod (h/t MMA Mania). “Just trying to figure out who who’s gonna be the guy.”
“I got unfinished business with my last fight Leon Edwards, the guy that has the title right now. I broke my foot in the first five seconds of that fight. I threw a kick, it broke in three different places. So, that wasn’t me that night. I’m gonna probably have to fight someone else to get back to him. So, whoever.”
That “whoever” seems like an obvious choice when considering the current landscape and back-and-forth that Covington’s been a part of. “The Future” matchup would be Ian Machado Garry, as the undefeated 13-0 rising contender recently said he’s been offered a contract to fight Covington.
The pair have each expressed their disdain for the other in recent months. Covington has mostly targeted Garry for his personal life, making a lengthy video with stipulations for Garry to follow before he agrees to a fight. However, the perennial top contender isn’t ready to face Garry after the willing responses of the Irishman.
“There’s this kid that’s been calling me out,” Covington said. “This kid, Ian Garry, he’s a nobody. I gave him some stipulations and said, ‘Hey man, if you wanna fight me, you have to show me you’re serious about business.’ Because when I do business, I’m serious about it. I show up to every fight. I’ve never pulled out of one fight. I’ve been injured. I’ve been sick. But I always show up and do my business because I love the UFC as the greatest organization on world. So, he has to show me he’s serious.
“He was supposed to be on my last event in the press conference. He pulls out the day of the press conference because he knew I was gonna be on stage, and we’re gonna have some beef. So, that shows me that he’s not serious.”
Garry, 26, was originally scheduled to face Vicente Luque at UFC 296 before he fell ill with pneumonia. He was rebooked to fight Geoff Neal at UFC 298 in February, winning a split decision.
