Colby Covington’s chance of taking a welterweight title while Kamaru Usman still rules the UFC 170-pound roost is virtually non-existent. Why not, then, try his luck with Usman’s friend and fellow Nigerian, middleweight champion Isarel Adesanya?
Covington told Submission Radio that he has no trouble making weight at 170 pounds, and would love the chance to apply his suffocating pressure wrestling to “cardio kickboxer” Adesanya.
Covington Demands Middleweight Title Shot
“I think I can definitely go up to 185 and fight Adesanya. But I don’t know if he’s gonna turn around like that. But he doesn’t have a dance partner right now. I mean, some of the guys they’re trying to line him up with, it’s unoriginal.
Why can Usman fight him and all the fans want that, but the guy that beat Usman. I beat Usman. I beat Usman twice. Usman sucks, dude.
Everybody knew in Madison Square Garden I won those last three rounds. It was an easy win for me, easy decision victory. Unanimous.
So, why can’t I fight Adesanya? He can’t stop my wrestling. I’ll pick him up and drop him on his f****** head. He’s a cardio kickboxer.
They got enough cardio kickboxers in women’s classes around the U.S. I could go join one of those as well but I decided to pick up hard, gruelling American wrestling. I don’t think Adesanya could stop my American wrestling, and I don’t think he’s that good a fighter.”
Colby, of course, did not defeat Kamaru Usman. He lost against Usman twice, once via TKO and the second time via decision. As such, he won’t be making a permanent move to 185 pounds, instead offering a one-time-only deal to provide the fans with “the biggest fight possible”.
“I want to give the fans the biggest fight possible. I don’t cut weight to go to 170, so I’m not gonna go up to 185 and make it a full-time home.
But I’m waiting for the big fights to present themselves, and the two biggest fights in my mind, go beat up Adesanya, the guy who just has cardio kickboxing, he’s not that good of a fighter, he’s not well-rounded, he can’t stop my American wrestling. I’ll melt that guy. He’ll a hundred percent melt under my pressure and my pace.”
Every wrestler to fight Adesanya has made the same assertion, and so far the only one to clinch a victory was Jan Blachowicz, in a 205-pound fight. That remains, to date, Adesanya’s only MMA career loss.
Can Colby Covington defeat Israel Adesanya? Let us know in the comments.
