Earlier than a reporter may even get the query out, Ian Machado Garry shut down the concept Colby Covington would escape his clutches.
Garry put Covington entrance and middle following his win over Geoff Neal at UFC 298, and he wasn’t thrilled to entertain different potential opponents.
“He doesn’t have a alternative,” Garry mentioned on the post-fight press convention for UFC 298. “He’s misplaced three title fights. He doesn’t have a alternative. Sorry, I don’t imply to interrupt, however there isn’t a different f****** choice for him. Who else are they gonna put? He’s not going to signal the struggle grapplers, that’s for positive. He’s not gonna struggle [Stephen] ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson. Are you aware what I imply? What’s the purpose of placing them two collectively?
“He’s going to do what he’s f****** informed, and he’s going to struggle a younger upcoming prospect, so I can f****** take him out of the division, wipe him off the highest 15, and the UFC can go, ‘Nice. Proper. That’s been nice. Let’s take that and run with it.’”
Because the reporter accurately famous, Covington’s repute raises the query of alternate opponents. The previous interim champ’s schedule has been hollowed out by a number of bookings which have didn’t materialize. After dropping his third title shot in UFC 296 assembly with present champ Leon Edwards, Covington appeared to acknowledge a must rebuild his profession and selected Thompson as his subsequent goal.
Covington can also be coming off a loss and is 2-3 in his previous 5 fights, dropping twice to now ex-champ Kamaru Usman and present champ Edwards. From a purely aggressive perspective, Garry appears to match higher with different up-and-coming fighters equivalent to Sean Brady, Jack Della Maddalena and Shavkhat Rakhmonov.
Requested about that trio of fast-rising contenders, Garry didn’t draw back.
“I’m a fighter who says sure,” he mentioned. “I don’t say no. I don’t be choosy. I say sure, the place, when? That’s it. The reality is, I name out who I would like. Colby is the most important title within the division with no title – going out and beating him does a lot.”
That evaluation will get to the center of Covington’s enchantment for Garry. Not solely is the brash welterweight a rival for the non-public assaults he’s lobbed on the Irish fighter and his household, however he additionally carries a sure marquee enchantment that might assist Garry construct towards a title shot.
That’s possible why Covington was part of Garry’s avowed hit record, which additionally included now-former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland, who additionally disparaged his household on a number of events.
“I could be speaking s*** about him – there’s quite a lot of respect on his title from all of the MMA neighborhood,” Garry mentioned of Covington. “Are you aware what I imply? He wrestles onerous, he places up output in fights, however he’s simply not 1/10 of the fighter I’m. And it’s my job to go on the market and show that, and I’d try this with a smile on my face.
“I don’t imagine he’s able to be selecting and selecting his fights. If he needs to struggle, he’s going to do what he’s informed, and I’m positive [UFC execs] Hunter [Campbell] and Dana [White] will inform him that.”
