Getty Israel Adesanya celebrates his victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC 243.
Reigning UFC middleweight king Israel Adesanya recently came under fire by the No. 1-ranked welterweight contender Colby Covington, who desperately wants a piece of him.
In an interview with Submission Radio, Covington went off on “cardio kickboxer” Adesanya. It’s become clear that “Chaos” is angling for an instant 185-pound title fight against Adesanya, and he believes that if welterweight champion Kamaru Usman could receive a fight with “The Last Stylebender,” he should be awarded one also.
“I could definitely go up to 185 and fight Adesanya,” Covington said via Middle Easy. “I don’t know if he’s going to turn around like that. He doesn’t have a dance partner right now. Some of the guys that are trying to line him up with are unoriginal. Why can Usman fight him and all the fans want that? But the guy that beat Usman [can’t]? I beat Usman twice, Usman sucks. Everybody knew at Madison Square Garden. I won those last three rounds. It was an easy win for me, easy decision victory, unanimous.
“Why can’t I fight Adesanya? He can’t stop my wrestling. I’ll pick him up and drop him on his f****** head. He’s a cardio kickboxer they got enough cardio kickboxers and women’s classes around the [U.S.]. I could go join one of those as well, but I decided to pick up hard grueling American wrestling it. So, I don’t think Adesanya could stop my American wrestling. I don’t think he’s that good [of] a fighter.”
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Colby Covington Wants Adesanya or Poirier
Covington is coming off a big win over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 262 earlier this month. It was a dominant bounce-back victory for Chaos, who dropped a unanimous decision to Usman a few months back at UFC 268.
Chaos is looking for a big fight next, and he has his eyes firmly set on Adesanya and his former teammate, lightweight Dustin Poirier. If Covington does receive a middleweight title fight, don’t expect him to stay at the division as he is a natural welterweight.
“As the pound for pound number one people’s champion, I want to give the fans the biggest and best fights possible,” Covington said. “I don’t cut any weight to go to 170, so I’m not going to be going up to 85 and make it a full-time home. But, I’m waiting for the big fights to present themselves.
“The two biggest fights in my mind… go beat up Adesanya. The guy just has cardio kickboxing. He’s not that good of a fighter. He’s not well-rounded he can’t stop my American wrestling. I’ll melt that guy. He’ll 100% melt under my pressure, my pace. Or fight Dustin, another guy who said it’s on sight.”
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Colby Covington Has Multiple Former Champions on His Mantel
Covington boasts victories over multiple former world champions, including ex-UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos and past UFC welterweight king Robbie Lawler.
The 34-year-old combat sports a professional MMA record of 17-3, with eight wins via finish.
He’s the former interim 170-pound UFC champion and has contested for undisputed gold twice, losing both times to Usman.
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Israel Adesanya Put on Notice By Mouthy UFC Top Contender