Gilbert Burns has claimed that the reason Colby Covington doesn’t currently have a fight booked is that he’s still badly injured as the result of being attacked by Jorge Masvidal outside a restaurant in Miami back in March.
“The rumors [were] that [Covington] was very bad,” Burns told The Allstar. “He had a neck injury, the nerves were very bad — he lost a little bit of movement in his neck. He kinda broke his jaw again, he had surgery and the surgery didn’t go well. He’s still doing the PT [physical therapy], he’s not training.
“If everything goes okay, he’s only back in March — that’s what I heard. I don’t know if it’s true, but I [heard] from guys that know him. I think it’s true because he’s been quiet — he hasn’t said anything. I think he’s out until March next year.”
However, after last night’s Contender Series event, Dana White appeared to downplay those rumors by suggesting that Covington may be on the verge of having a fight booked.
“Colby wants to fight,” White told reporters. “He’s ready to fight and we’re making plans for him soon.”
At this stage there’s no indication of who the UFC may have in mind for the No.2 ranked Covington now that a trilogy fight between newly crowned 170lb champion Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman appears to be a certainty.
The No.4 placed Burns had made it clear he’s interested in fighting Covington though, while current No.3 Khamzat Chimaev could also be a possibility if he beats Nate Diaz at UFC 279 next month.
