Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker believes Colby Covington will struggle against Khamzat Chimaev because he won’t be able to consistently take him down to the mat.
Following UFC 280’s stunning card, Dana White confirmed that Chimaev vs. Covington is in the works. The UFC president stated that the plan is to have the pair compete as the co-main event for Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman’s trilogy bout.
The winner of ‘Borz’ vs. ‘Chaos’ will then be next in line for a shot at the welterweight title.
‘The Reaper’, who will face Paulo Costa at UFC 284, recently appeared on Submission Radio. Whittaker stated that Covington’s inability to take Khamzat Chimaev down repeatedly will turn their bout into a striking and kickboxing match, giving the edge to ‘Borz’:
“Fight wise, I think it’s a stylistically terrible fight for Colby. You saw with Usman. Anyone that Colby can’t relentlessly spam takedowns on, it becomes a kickboxing and striking match. I think Covington is great at what he does, but he’s not a kickboxer or striker by trade. His pressure style and wrestling style is what comes naturally to him.”
Whittaker added:
“Khamzat Chimaev, he can counter-wrestler Colby. He’s a big dude with long range and a lot of reach. His striking is nothing ridiculously crazy, but it’s put together at a high level. He integrates that with the threat of his wrestling, grappling and takedowns. I think Khamzat for Colby is a bad matchup.”
Catch the Submission Radio interview here:
Michael Bisping weighs in on Khamzat Chimaev vs. Colby Covington
Hall of Famer Michael Bisping recently uploaded a YouTube video to discuss the potential bout between Khamzat Chimaev and Colby Covington. According to ‘The Count’, the result depends on whether the fight is three rounds or five.
Bisping stated that Chimaev’s relentless pressure from the starting bell would give him the edge over Covington if the fight is scheduled for three rounds. However, the former middleweight champion believes that ‘Borz’s’ style of fighting won’t be sustainable for longer than 15 minutes. If their fight is set for five rounds, ‘The Count’ gives the edge to the more experienced Covington:
“He’s [Chimaev] extremely powerful, he has great wrestling, he has great striking, he’s super aggressive and wastes no time. He probably doesn’t pace himself too well… Khamzat can go three rounds. We’ve seen him do that before. But five rounds, that’s a different kettle of fish. If it was [five rounds] I would see Colby having a real advantage.”
According to Michael Bisping, fans are yet to see Chimaev taken to deep waters in a five-round fight. The 43-year-old Brit feels ‘Borz’ doesn’t have the ability to maintain his momentum for 25 minutes, whereas Covington has done so on multiple occasions in the past, even when coming up short.
Catch Bisping discussing Khamzat Chimaev vs. Colby Covington here: