Colby Covington is usually quick to provoke debate, yet his reaction to Islam Makhachev’s welterweight championship win at UFC 322 was surprisingly measured.
Speaking after Makhachev controlled Jack Della Maddalena from beginning to end inside Madison Square Garden, Covington admitted he did not expect the fight to unfold the way it did.
When asked what he thought of the outcome, Covington gave a straightforward answer.
“No, I didn’t see it coming,” Covington told The Schmo. “I thought he was the bigger guy and he would be able to overpower Makhachev, but hat’s off to him. He implemented his game plan and was able to really just control the fight the whole time.”
Who Can Challenge Makhachev Next
Although Makhachev earned another convincing championship moment, Covington believes there is one fighter who could be uniquely suited for the task.
Covington pointed to current lightweight titleholder Ilia Topuria, and he explained why he views that matchup differently from the rest of the contenders.
“You’re going to have to stuff his takedowns and make him work like (Alexander) Volkanovski did in that first fight,” Covington said while discussing the blueprint to beat Makhachev.
“You just stuff the takedowns and brawl with him. I think Topuria is the perfect fight for him. I think that fight needs to happen.”
He continued expanding on what creates that potential threat:
“Topuria has a low center of gravity so he’s going to be very hard to take down, and when he’s not taking him down, he’s going to be punching him with all he’s got. I’m hoping the UFC makes that fight next. I don’t want to see Ilia going all the way to 170, it’s tough. He’s going to be giving up such a size advantage, but we’ll see. I think ’55 makes the most sense.”
Covington has not competed since his TKO defeat to Joaquin Buckley in December of last year.
With nearly twelve months away from the cage, he wants to return before next summer, especially as the UFC moves toward one of its biggest planned milestone events.
