Fresh off yet another lop-sided, first-round victory, surging UFC contender Khamzat Chimaev has found himself in a beef with top welterweight contender Colby Covington.
On Saturday, Chimaev dismantled Li Jingliang at UFC 267. It was Chimaev’s fourth straight UFC stoppage win, and solidified his status as one of the UFC’s fastest-rising contenders. Days later, and just days before Covington challenges Kamaru Usman for the UFC title at UFC 268, Covington commented on Chimaev and his struggles with COVID-19. The health effects of the virus kept Chimaev out of action since September 2020.
“You guys hype these guys up real quick, but let’s not forget that he was put down by the common cold,” Covington told reporters at a media day on Wednesday. “He was ready to retire off the common cold. That’s a 99.9 percent survival rate to beat the common cold. C*mshot Chimaev was ready to give it up and retire. He doesn’t want to fight me. He has a way less chance than 99.9 percent chance against me.”
On Thursday, Chimaev fired back with a string of tweets targeted at Covington.
The photos Chimaev shared were from Covington’s first bout with Usman — an unsuccessful title bid at UFC 245. Since then, Covington has fought just once, defeating former UFC champion Tyron Woodley. Their highly anticipated rematch is set for the main event of Saturday’s UFC 268.
Whether Covington wins or loses on Saturday, a match-up against Chimaev could be around the corner.
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