I’ve been out of the UFC for nearly TWO YEARS because Khamzat Chimaev bottled fighting me before MW move, says Covington
COLBY COVINGTON has claimed Khamazat Chimaev scuppered the UFC's plans to book them in a blockbuster pay-per-view bout.
The pair locking horns with one another was high on MMA fans' wishlist after Chimaev made his famous run to stardom on Fight Island in 2020.
Both men's trading of shots on social media and in interviews only added fuel to the burning fan desire to see them throw down.
A showdown looked set to come to fruition last September when Chimaev was matched up against MMA legend Nate Diaz at UFC 279.
But much to the frustration of Covington, the undefeated Russian and ended up facing Kevin Holland in a short-notice catch-weight bout.
In an exclusive interview said: "Khamzat Chimaev was offered to me multiple times.
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"The UFC wanted to set that fight up because it was the biggest fight they could do in the division.
"It was Russian Sambo versus American wrestling, it is one of the greatest stories of all time.
"We wanted to make this fight, it was the biggest fight in the welterweight division.
"But Khamzat Chimaev is unprofessional."
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Covington claims the UFC brass informed Chimaev they would put him in his second pay-per-view main event slot if he got the better of Diaz.
He continued: "The UFC is like, 'Hey, Khamzat we're gonna give you an easy fight, a lay-up fight in 40-year-old Nate Diaz - a soy boy.
"'And if you beat him, then you're going to set up a mega-fight with Colby 'Chaos' Covington - this pay-per-view massive headliner.'"
Chimaev's botched weight cut proved to be his final attempt to make the welterweight limit and he's since moved up to middleweight.
And in the eyes of Covington, the Chechen clubber's decision to test the waters at 185lbs is an admission of defeat.
He said: "Khamzat Chimaev is scared, he ran away from my division because he knew he was going to have to fight me."
It's still not beyond the realms of possibility that Covington and Chimaev's paths do end up crossing - a meeting the former believes would be a formality.
He said: "You can see that Khamzat has no cardio, he's barely a three-round fighter.
"Imagine what happens if he gets locked inside that octagon with me for five rounds. I'd melt him.
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Covington, 35, won't have to wait long to strap on his gloves and return to the octagon - which he hasn't graced for nearly two years.
The American tops the bill of a on Sunday morning against welterweight champion Leon Edwards, who will look to stop him from claiming UFC gold at the third time of asking.
