Colby Covington shared an early prediction ahead of his RAF matchup with Khamzat Chimaev. Covington vs. Chimaev is scheduled to main event RAF Abu Dhabi, which takes place at Etihad Arena on Nov. 14. ‘Chaos’ is confident that he will defeat ‘Borz’ in dominant fashion.
Covington has thrived in RAF since retiring from the UFC and returning to his freestyle wrestling roots. ‘Chaos’ is unbeaten on the RAF mats and is currently the reigning Crossover Cruiserweight champion.
Chimaev, meanwhile, is also unbeaten and will look to dethrone Covington. The former UFC middleweight champion will have the size advantage, but that does not appear to concern ‘Chaos.’
Covington is prediction another dominant victory to continue his title reign.
Colby Covington Makes Early Prediction for His RAF Showdown With Khamzat Chimaev
Colby Covington dismissed Khamzat Chimaev’s chances ahead of RAF Abu Dhabi. The two were previously linked to a UFC fight years ago, but it ultimately fell through.
Covington expressed excitement to finally have a chance to compete with Chimaev.
“I thought that that ship had long sailed away. Hunter Campbell gave [Chimaev] the opportunity, a free fight with Nate Diaz, and they were teeing it up to main event the next fight against me. So, he was unprofessional. And then he retired because the common cold. He had some sniffles and he retired, so it just showed the kind of quitter that he is and the kind of fear that he has,” Covington told Ozoon.
“I’m going to expose him in front of all his friends and fans over in the UAE. And, you know, I’m just excited to get my hands on him. He’s been talking [expletive] about me for many years, so now I get to make him eat his own words. It’s going to be exciting,” Covington said.
He continued:
“[Chimaev’s] performance [against Sean Strickland] was pretty pathetic. Sean made him butt scoot in six minutes. I plan to make him butt scoot on the wrestling mat in three minutes,” Covington said.
Covington Praises RAF’s Treatment of Athletes
Covington also heaped praise on RAF for how the promotion has treated its athletes. The former interim UFC welterweight champion spoke highly of he experience so far. He also expressed gratitude for how RAF CEO Chad Bronstein has helped him since his UFC retirement.
“It’s so refreshing to be with a company that really values you and takes care of you, and looks out for you. Chad Bronstein at RAF has been a godsend to me, man. He’s helped me out so much and just gave me all these big matchups,” Covington told Ozoon.
He continued:
“I’m a competitor. I like to compete, I want big matchups. So, he’s been able to deliver those for me and that’s all I could ask for. I just want to challenge myself while I still can. You know, I got a couple good years left of competing, so that’s what I want to do. And, I’m just thankful Chad has given me that opportunity,” Covington said.
Colby Covington Makes Early Prediction for His RAF Showdown With Khamzat Chimaev