It looks like Colby Covington will have to wait a little longer to make his return to the Octagon. The former interim welterweight champion has been out of action since 2023 when he came up short in his title quest against Leon Edwards at UFC 296.
What about a second chance at the interim title for ‘Chaos’? It appears that UFC boss Dana White isn’t too keen on the idea.
Due to Belal Muhammad suffering from a bone infection, he’s out of his UFC 310 welterweight title bout against the undefeated Kazakh phenom, Shavkat Rakhmonov. As such, Covington recently revealed that he had quickly raised his hand to step in. This time, however, Dana White didn’t oblige the welterweight. Instead, he appears to have another plan for the UFC 310 co-main event – and Covington isn’t a part of it!
Colby Covington left on the sidelines as Dana White chooses a “different route” for UFC 310
According to a recent interview with Submission Radio, shared on Instagram by Championship Rounds, Colby Covington stated, “I told the UFC that I was willing to step up to the plate, I would love to save the show. I think (the UFC) had other plans. [It] looks like they’re going a different route. They’re going to go with potentially Usman vs (Shavkat).”
While getting his offer denied might be a massive letdown for Covington, Shavkat Rakhmonov is determined to prove that he deserves a title. During a recent appearance on ‘The Ariel Helwani Show’, ‘Nomad’ stressed his desire for the interim belt and the credibility Kamaru Usman would bring as an opponent. Through an interpreter, he confidently declared, “I’m ready to save the card too if it’s for the interim belt. I believe Usman would be ready to jump in to face me. Belal [doesn’t] need to be greedy. If I become interim champ, he’s still going to have a belt too. And it’s going to be champ vs champ – [an] even bigger fight.”
It’s a bold move, but one fitting for a fighter whose trajectory has been nothing short of meteoric with a 6-0 UFC run, and all finishes so far. Could a battle with Usman finally secure his place among the division’s elite? After all, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ was a dominant champion at 170 lbs. At UFC 294, he stepped up at the last minute to face Khamzat Chimaev, and fought all three rounds. Despite losing the middleweight bout, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ might have won the third round after surviving Chimaev’s first-round onslaught.
Behind the scenes, negotiations are reportedly underway to make this interim fight a reality. Rakhmonov’s manager, Sayat Abdrakhmanov, also hinted that the UFC and Dana White may be in talks with Kamaru Usman, noting that it isn’t clear if any other fighter has been approached. So, where does that leave Colby Covington? Well, a surprising figure has thrown his name into the ring for a chance to face off against ‘Chaos’!