Getty Colby Covington at UFC 262.
All signs are pointing to a top-contender fight between UFC welterweights Colby Covington and Khamzat Chimaev, and Michael Bisping is picking the latter to win.
Chimaev is now ranked in the 170-pound division’s top five. On Tuesday, the official UFC rankings updated with Chimaev taking the No. 3 spot, while his UFC 273 opponent Gilbert Burns fell from No. 2 to No. 4.
“Borz” and Burns fought during Saturday night’s featured bout, and it was an all-time classic war. Although both fighters found success several times on their feet, Chimaev earned the victory via unanimous decision.
Before the fight, UFC president Dana White confirmed recently that if Chimaev bested Burns, he’d like to schedule Covington vs. Borz for later this year.
“I think that if Khamzat Chimaev wins this weekend, we see him and Colby Covington next,” White said on ” The Pat McAfee Show” via MMA Fighting.
“I have a fight coming up on ABC, and in a perfect world, if everything plays out right, I would love to do Khamzat vs. Colby if Khamzat should win on Saturday night,” White continued.
Chimaev and Covington have a history of taking aim at the other. For example, Covington calls Chimaev “C**shot Chimaev,” whereas Borz has gone on a tweeting spree aimed at “Chaos.”
Bisping Praised Chimaev’s UFC 273 Performance, Picks Chimaev to Beat Covington
During a recent YouTube video, Bisping gave his take on Chimaev. “The Count” is clearly impressed with Chimaev, especially after the Russian showed that he not only can give out punishment inside the Octagon, he can also withstand it.
“I don’t think that was the best Khamzat,” Bisping said via TalkSport. “That was a great fight. Khazmat proved he can be the hammer and the nail.
“It’s all good going out there and destroying your opposition. Everybody loves that, everybody wants to see that, everybody wants to do that, but the question still remains, ‘Can he take a licking and keep on ticking?’ Well, now we know he can.
“Some people, when they start hitting adversity, they wilt and they look for a way out, but Khamzat Chimaev isn’t that guy. Khamzat definitely showed last night he can be a hammer and a nail, so he’s got all the ingredients.”
And if Covington and Chimaev meet inside the Octagon, Bisping believes Borz will beat the No. 1-ranked welterweight. But he also knows that Covington’s striking output could be a difference-maker as well.
“I’d probably lean towards Khamzat, which again sounds crazy, but I think the wrestling of Khamzat would nullify Colby’s wrestling,” Bisping continued.
“So, if you take the wrestling out of it, then we’re gonna go to striking. Well, Khamzat has more power. Colby has more output, and that’s what it comes down to.”
Covington Beat Jorge Masvidal Last Month
Covington rebounded from his UFC 268 title bid in November by beating his bitter rival Jorge Masvidal during the UFC 272 main event last month. Covington has a professional mixed martial arts record of 17-3.
Chaos has held the No. 1 spot in the rankings for years, however since he’s lost to UFC 170-pound king Kamaru Usman twice, he likely needs to rack up a few more wins before he receives a trilogy match with “The Nigerian Nightmare.”