Getty Colby Covington reacts after his TKO victory over Tyron Woodley in their welterweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on September 19, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
A top-ranked fighter has strong negative feelings for Colby Covington.
While recently speaking with MMA Junkie’s John Morgan, No. 9-ranked UFC welterweight Belal Muhammad took aim at “Chaos.”
“Remember the Name,” who picked up the biggest win of his MMA career on June 12, 2021, at UFC 263 against Demian Maia, explained that he has a high level of “hatred” for Covington and hopes to meet him inside the Octagon.
GettyBelal Muhammad reacts after fighting Demian Maia during their UFC 263 welterweight match at Gila River Arena on June 12, 2021 in Glendale, Arizona.
“I want Colby more than anybody,” Muhammad said via the outlet. “The hatred I have for that guy is levels above Leon (Edwards). Of course I want Leon back just because the way that one ended, but Colby’s still a level above him.”
Muhammad fought Edwards earlier this year and the bout was ruled a no-contest after Muhammad suffered an eye poke. Remember the Name hoped to run the fight back, however Edwards took a fight with Nate Diaz instead. “Rocky” defeated Diaz via unanimous decision at UFC 263.
“I’ve been calling out Colby since I fought in Australia against Tim Means,” Muhammad continued. “I’ve always wanted to fight Colby Covington. With this last fight showing that I can defend a takedown, it shows people that it will be a great matchup.
“It will be a fun matchup to see what happens if Colby can’t get a takedown, what’s he gonna do?”
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Dana White Says Title Shot Is Next for Covington, Something That Muhammad Questions
UFC president Dana White has confirmed on several occasions that Covington will receive a title shot against Kamaru Usman next. Usman and Covington have fought once before. Fighting in December 2019 at UFC 245, “The Nigerian Nightmare” successfully defended his title for the first time, finishing Covington via fifth-round TKO.
Chaos has only fought once since then: a TKO victory over former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in September 2020. Covington is currently ranked No. 1 in the 170-pound division.
“I still don’t understand why Colby’s getting the title fight,” Muhammad said. “Yeah, it was a great fight, but you got your jaw broken and you’ve been sitting on the sidelines ever since that fight.”
Muhammad Points Out That Usman Has Been in the Octagon Much More Often Than Covington Since UFC 245
Usman has been more active in the cage since UFC 245. He has gone on to defend his belt three more times, defeating Jorge Masvidal twice, as well as Gilbert Burns.
“Usman fought three times since that fight, and you’re just sitting out,” Muhammad continued. “It’s not like you’re a huge pay-per-view draw. It’s not like if I’m Usman, I’m like, ‘Yeah, let me get that Colby fight, I’m gonna get 800,00 pay-per-views.’ The first one did 200,000 pay-per-views, so it’s not like you’re gonna make a big payday with that, regardless.”
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