Chael Sonnen recently discussed the possibility of Colby Covington taking a fight against Khamzat Chimaev.
Chael Sonnen claims Colby Covington will only return to octagon if UFC promises another title fight following potential clash against surging contender.
Colby Covington hasn’t entered the octagon since defeating Jorge Masvidal by unanimous decision at UFC 272 in March. He was recently called out by Khamzat Chimaev, who has previously accused Covington of avoiding him.
Speaking on his Beyond the Fight podcast, former UFC fighter turned MMA analyst Chael Sonnen discussed Khamzat Chimaev’s call out of ‘Chaos’. Sonnen suggested that Covington may have to be incentivized to take the fight:
Could you get Colby to take the fight? Colby’s a hard guy to get to the table… He is risking his number one position. Now, he’s not against doing this, but make sure it’s a main event, make sure it’s pay-per-view… he has to look at those things and he is in a little bit of a different spot because of that risk.
Sonnen continued:
“If you’re the number one contender in Colby…I don’t get a fight for the belt then what’s the point? I’ve got everything to risk and I’ve got nothing to gain… Colby has a right to consider these things… I believe they would go ahead and concede and say yes, this is the number one contenders match. For sure, whoever wins takes on whoever wins between Kamaru and Leon and that would be Colby’s opportunity to get in there for a third time… I think that’s what it’s going to take to get Colby back.”
Colby Covington and Khamzat Chimaev are currently the No.2 and No.3-ranked welterweights, respectively. With champion Leon Edwards likely to take on No.1-ranked Kamaru Usman in a trilogy fight, the matchup between Covington and Chimaev makes sense as a title contender fight.
Watch Chael Sonnen’s full comments on Colby Covington and Khamzat Chimaev below: