Khamzat Chimaev: “Covington doesn’t want to fight me”

Even though Khamzat Chimaev is shifting his focus to the middleweight category, he will continue to respond to welterweights who continue to mention him.

Colby Covington addressed a potential clash against Chimaev in a press conference before UFC 286 on Saturday after UFC president Dana White stated for months that was the fight the company wanted to schedule. Because the match was obviously canceled, Covington has been named the top contender at 170 pounds, while Chimaev is expected to make his middleweight comeback in October.

He’s a f****** joke,” Covington said about Chimaev. “The guy f****** sucks at fighting. He’s unprofessional and I don’t want to ever hear that guy’s name again.”

“Colby’s lying, he doesn’t want to fight,” Chimaev said on his YouTube channel. “I swear with everything I have.”

Chimaev seems to be devoting his attention to middleweight for the time being, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't seize the chance to compete against Covington if it came up.

He thinks that if Covington genuinely wanted to fight him, they could decide on a weight class and make it happen. But, Chimaev is skeptical that this potential pairing of opponents will ever come to pass.

Although White was sure that the Chechen brawler will compete once more in October with the forthcoming UFC 294 card scheduled for Abu Dhabi on Oct. 21, Chimaev still hasn't scheduled his next fight.