Former UFC interim welterweight champion Colby Covington (16-2) is currently waiting for his next opportunity inside the octagon. The last couple of months have been very frustrating for Covington as he’s seen a couple of opportunities fall through.
Last September, Covington dominated Tyron Woodley. After the fight was over, the UFC spent months trying to book the matchup between Covington and Jorge Masvidal (35-14). However, the fight never got done.
At UFC 258, Kamaru Usman (18-1) successfully defended his welterweight title. After the fight was over, Usman called out Masvidal for a rematch. The champion said he wasn’t satisfied with the way he won the first fight. After that callout, the promotion shifted gears.
Instead of booking Covington – Masvidal, the focus became booking Masvidal in a rematch against Usman. Last night, we learned that UFC 261 is going to be headlined by the Usman and Masvidal rematch in front of a full crowd in Jacksonville, Florida.
What’s this mean for the former interim UFC champion?
In reality, this is actually great news for Colby Covington. Originally, the UFC was looking at booking Usman and Masvidal as the coaches of The Ultimate Fighter. With that, they likely weren’t going to fight until the end of the year.
Covington told Submission Radio yesterday that he only wanted to fight Masvidal or Usman next. He’s not interested in Leon Edwards (18-3, 1 NC) and believes Edwards should fight Belal Muhammad again after what happened at UFC Vegas 21.
If Masvidal and Usman were to coach TUF, Covington would likely be out most of the year if he waited. However, Covington did say he would take a fight if the UFC were to step up and make him a respectable offer.
With the promotion booking this fight for next month, I believe all sides will win here. I believe that Colby Covington is likely going to fight the winner. I wouldn’t be shocked if the UFC still did The Ultimate Fighter with Covington and the winner.