Shavkat Rakhmonov and Colby Covington appear to be on the same page, whether they realize it or not.
With UFC 310 in flux due to welterweight champion Belal Muhammad recently being forced to withdraw from his Dec. 7 fight with Rakhmonov, several names have lined up to potentially take on the undefeated Kazakhstan native. In an interview with Submission Radio, Covington speculated that he’d fare well in a potential fight with Rakhmonov, while former welterweight titleholder Kamaru Usman said on his podcast that he’s open to taking a short-notice call to face Rakhmonov despite their having previously trained at the same gym.
Shavkat Rakhmonov responded to the comments on social media, daring his rivals to put pen to paper.
“All I hear are empty callouts,” Shavkat Rakhmonov wrote. “No real intention, no action. Just posturing for media and fans.”
It didn’t take long for Covington to log on and respond, telling Rakhmonov’s manager Daniel Rubenstein to translate a message for him.
Google translate this for your boy Ruby @Rakhmonov1994 pic.twitter.com/Pqz0UgvGYc
— Colby Covington (@ColbyCovMMA) November 11, 2024
“Someone just showed me Rubenstein’s tweet for that big dummy ‘Shitrat,’” Covington said, implying Rakhmonov did not write his own tweet. “Listen up, junior, translate this to whatever caveman dialect you need to and get it through that big empty skull attached to that Gumby-ass body. I don’t posture and I don’t bluff. As soon as I get off this beautiful five-star Trump golf course… I’m calling Hunter and Dana, and we can all see who’s posturing for clicks, bozo.”
It is not yet known if Shavkat Rakhmonov will end up fighting at UFC 310 or if his matchup with Muhammad—out due to a toe infection—will be re-booked for a later date. Should Covington get the call and an interim title be put on the line, it will mark Covington’s fifth UFC title fight.
Covington defeated Rafael dos Anjos for an interim welterweight belt in 2018, but lost a pair of title fights to Kamaru Usman and then one to Leon Edwards in his most recent outing this past December.