It’s being reported today that an interim welterweight title fight between Colby Covington and Rafael dos Anjos could be in the works for UFC 224 on 12th May in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
That’s the word according to BJPenn.com’s Chris Taylor, who cites multiple sources close to the situation and claims that the deal could be finalized soon.
Covington is currently ranked No.3 in the division following a five-fight winning streak that has seen the 30-year-old standout wrestler handily defeat the likes of Dong Hyun Kim and most recently Damien Maia.
During his rise up the ranks, Covington has also been talking up a storm and would almost certainly get a heated reaction from the Brazilian crowd given that he’s previously branded them “filthy animals” and has also had a physical confrontation and war of words with one of the country’s leading MMA stars, Fabricio Werdum.
In Rafael dos Anjos he’d be going up against another former champion from Brazil, with RDA having once ruled the lightweight ranks, before a couple of back-to-back losses convinced him to make the move up to welterweight.
Since doing so the 33-year-old Dos Anjos has looked better than ever, racking up three wins in a row against Tarec Saffiedine, Neil Magny and then former champ Robbie Lawler to take the No. 2 spot on the 170lb rankings.
If Covington Vs dos Anjos does go ahead then it will join a UFC 224 fight card that already has a headliner in the shape of bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes Vs Raquel Pennington, while Vitor Belfort’s final fight against Lyoto Machida is also on-board alongside Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza Vs Kelvin Gastelum.
