Daniel Cormier thinks we could see Colby Covington fight for gold once more.
On three separate tries, the former UFC interim welterweight champion has failed to capture the undisputed title. Covington lost to then-champ Kamaru Usman in 2019 and then again in 2021. The third time wasn’t the charm for Covington either as the American suffered his latest defeat to the hands of the reigning Leon Edwards at UFC 296 in December.
From title challenger to #4-ranked contender, Covington’s still not done chasing his dream of one day holding the UFC belt around his shoulder.
‘Chaos’ has flirted with the idea of fighting rising star Ian Machado Garry for his comeback fight, who like himself, fires from the hip with witty trash talk. After a war of words between the two regarding a potential fight, we still have to see the fight signed, sealed and delivered, leaving many to wonder if this super-fight of sorts will ever come to be.
DC: Covington ‘HAS to Fight’ Garry
If contracts are on the table, former UFC Champion Daniel Cormier says Covington simply has to take this matchup with Garry.
“One thing about Colby was for all the things he said and for all the annoyance and the way that he messed with people, he always showed up to fight anybody,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “There was never a matchup that he said no to. I think we’re at a point now with this Ian Garry thing where he has to fight him.
“Because with all the insults, with all the things he said personally, professionally, now you gotta go and fight him because that’s what he’s always done. When he spoke about Kamaru Usman in weird ways or in disrespectful ways, he fought Kamaru Usman. When he talked about Leon Edwards, he fought Leon Edwards. When he talked about anybody, he fought him, if that was an option.”
Covington was somewhat open to fighting Garry, but he did put up three wild stipulations for Garry to fight him which included:
- “Turn on the comments”
- “Record Layla [Garry’s wife] begging”
- “Agree to a MyBookie promo” [featuring Layla]
You can probably guess by the terms above that Garry won’t agree to doing any of these, but the Irishman is still in hot pursuit of a fight with Covington, given the lines crossed in their banter.
The Way Of The Villain
Being the ultimate ‘heel’ in the UFC, Cormier believes Covington has to put his words into action sooner or later.
“The villain always has to— at some point, step in front of the sword and fight,” Cormier said of Covington. “He’s gotta step on that battlefield and he is gotta show that he is willing to stand behind his words. I think that’s where we’re at right now in this Colby Covington, Ian Garry deal. Colby gotta stand up on his words now and go fight that man.”
More Chances At Gold For Covington?
Many fans are led to think Colby Covington went through his third and final title opportunity against Leon Edwards at UFC 296. 0-3 in undisputed in undisputed title fights and now 36 years old, Cormier says it might not be the end for the UFC veteran, after all.
“If he beats [Garry] now, we still continue to think that he’s in the championship picture, because very rarely do you get guys that regardless of how many times they win or lose in championship moments, they continue to get chances. I think Colby Covington is one of those guys,” Cormier proclaimed.
“[If] Belal Muhammad wins against Leon Edwards, I don’t think it’s unrealistic to believe that Colby Covington could fight for the belt again. I don’t. But, he’s gotta beat guys like Ian Garry.”
Do you agree with Daniel Cormier?
