Former UFC welterweight title challenger Colby Covington is in a war of words with Shavkat Rakhmonov over the state of the 170lb division’s title picture.
Colby Covington has kept a relatively low profile since a unanimous decision loss to then-welterweight champion Leon Edwards at UFC 296. While a return earlier this year at UFC 303 was rumored, Covington still hasn’t signed the dotted line for his next appearance in the Octagon.
In the meantime, Covington remains one of the main talking points of the top welterweight contenders. One of which is Shavkat Rakhmonov, who remains without an opponent at UFC 310 after welterweight champion Belal Muhammad’s withdrawal due to a medical issue.
Rakhmonov ripped Covington and Kamaru Usman for ’empty callouts’ in a recent tweet, in response to Usman’s recent comments about his next fight. Covington called for a clash with Jack Della Maddalena for his next fight in a sitdown with Submission Radio.
It didn’t take long for Covington to hit back at Rakhmonov’s fiery rhetoric on social media.
Colby Covington responds to Shavkat Rakhmonov’s online taunts, Rakhmonov issues cold answer
In a video uploaded to his social media pages, Covington responded to Rakhmonov’s tweet.
“Someone just showed me Rubenstein’s tweet for that big dummy s*** rat,” Covington said. “Listen junior, translate this to whatever caveman dialect you need to, and get it through your big empty skull attached to that gumby-a** body.
“I don’t posture and I don’t bluff. As soon as I get off this beautiful five-star Trump golf course, located in the heart of MAGA country…I’m calling Hunter [Campbell] and Dana [White] and we can all see who is posturing for clicks, bozoo!”
As of this writing, nothing is formally in the works for Rakhmonov at UFC 310, but Covington has emerged as a possible option after their online back-and-forths.
Rakhmonov responded to Covington’s video in an Instagram comment.
“Let’s go, I’m ready! Your talking will not help you in the octagon,” Rakhmonov said.
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Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Colby Covington for UFC 310?
Rakhmonov hasn’t fought since submitting former title challenger Stephen Thompson at UFC 296. After Muhammad’s UFC 310 withdrawal, Rakhmonov has called for a potential interim welterweight title bout to fill the main event slot.
If Covington gets his wish in facing Rakhmonov, it could be the fifth time he’s fought for a UFC title. He’s 1-3 in UFC welterweight title fights, including two losses to Usman.
Covington’s last victory came against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272. A post-event altercation between Masvidal and Covington, former teammates, resulted in Covington suffering a significant injury that stalled his career.
Rakhmonov is undefeated in his professional MMA career with wins against the likes of Neil Magny, Geoff Neal, and Alex Oliveira. Before signing with the UFC in 2020, Rakhmonov won the M-1 Global welterweight championship.
Tensions are ramping up between Covington and the usually-tranquil Rakhmonov, and the UFC might be on the cusp of a solution to the UFC 310 headliner void.
