Long-time UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington has teased a possible move up to middleweight in a new interview.
“I don’t see myself ever going to 155, even though I know I could make it and I’d probably be way stronger than the guys on fight night,” Covington told Submission Radio. “I’d feel like a bully, and I’m not a bully. I got into MMA because I didn’t like guys bullying me.
“But ’85? Honestly, ’85 is intriguing. I think it would be kind of cool to go up there with a narrative of, ‘Oh, this guy is a small ’70, he’s going to go up to ’85 and take on an even bigger challenge.’ There is a possibility. I’m always looking for the biggest and best fights – it doesn’t matter any weight class.”
Covington has clearly given the matter some thought as he also had a potential opponent in mind – former 185lb champ Sean Strickland.
“The Sean Strickland fight is always interesting,” Covington said. “He’s had things to say about me in the past. I don’t think he’s anything special. He’s got a jab, he’s got a front kick. But you shut those things down, he’s very limited. He’s a cardio fighter. He’s just a cardio kickboxer, essentially. I don’t see any threats out of Sean Strickland. It’s an entertaining fight that I might entertain in the future. We’ll see.”
The 37-year-old’s comments come just weeks after a TKO loss to Joaquin Buckley, which leaves on back-to-back defeats, having also been beaten in a title challenge against Leon Edwards a year earlier. In total Covington has now had three title shots at 170lbs without winning the title, though he was briefly the interim champion back in 2018.
