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Colby Covington Wants To Fight Stephen Thompson, Not Shavkat Rakhmonov

James Herrick / UFC / December 18, 2023

Colby Covington Wants To Fight Stephen Thompson, Not Shavkat Rakhmonov

UFC 296 did not go as planned for Colby Covington. Despite a disappointing loss to UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards, Covington is attempting to call the shots for his next fight. The name on the tip of his tongue was Stephen Thompson–not Shavkat Rakhmonov.

Covington attempted to line up his next bout at his UFC 296 post-fight press conference. All quotes via TheScore.

“I’m gonna focus on what’s next,” Covington said. “There’s a guy that’s been talking a lot of shit to me in the media, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. Everybody thinks he’s a nice guy. He’s had a lot to say about me, so I’d love to see him say that to me in the cage, in the Octagon.”

At UFC 296, Thompson suffered his first submission loss of his career against Rakhmonov. In that regard, it would help one of the two veterans get back in the win column. On the other hand, a fight against Rakhmonov would keep him closer to the title.

Covington justified his callout by saying he wants to fight another fighter from his era. Thompson is one of the few welterweight veterans left that Covington has not fought. Thompson, 40, is one of the older and most experienced welterweights on the UFC roster.

“We’ve been at the top of the division for the longest,” Covington said of Thompson, a two-time title challenger. “We’re two guys that have never fought that have been at the top of the division for years. So, I think that’s the fight that makes the most logical sense next.”

Despite only showing positives in the UFC octagon, Covington does not view Rakhmonov as a beneficial fight for him.

“It doesn’t really make sense,” Covington said. “I think ‘Wonderboy’ has a bigger name. It’s a bigger fight for the division, bigger business for the UFC. I’m the company man. Whatever the UFC wants.”

Shavkat Rakhmonov: The UFC Prospect Nobody is Talking About

Covington’s next fight will be crucial for his career. The former interim champion has never lost consecutive fights. That is not a trend he wants to start at 35-years-old. With that in mind, Thompson is a far more appealing stylistic matchup for Covington in comparison to Rakhmonov. That is a detail Covington will likely attempt to keep a secret.

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