As of today, not one competitor has come close to defeating the 26-0 lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov has ragdolled and dominated his competition on his way to be considered arguably the most dominant force in the entire sport today. But there is one man who claims to not be impressed and is not only up to the challenge of fighting Nurmagomedov, but who believes that the lightweight champion would be easy work. That, of course, is the outspoken and always brash Colby Covington (transcription via The Body Lock):
“Yeah, I mean it’s an easy fight,” Covington said in an appearance on Submission Radio. “He’s already asking to fight Georges St-Pierre in between welterweight and lightweight. I can make in between welterweight and lightweight because I’m not a big welterweight. It’s going to be more rewarding to smash two of Ali [Abdelaziz]’s biggest clients and just leave him crying.”
Specifically, Colby Covington believes that his wrestling would be enough to nullify Khabib’s biggest strength and that his Division I wrestling would outshine Khabib’s grappling:
“He [Khabib] would be my easiest challenge. He’s small and he doesn’t even do what I do as good as I do it. He can’t wrestle as good as me. He’s never faced a high-level Division 1 All-American, a kid who has been wrestling his whole life. That sambo shit, that shit’s weak. If wrestling was easy, it would be called sambo. But it’s not, it’s called wrestling.”
Neither Khabib nor Colby Covington have never been outwrestled for an extended period of time in an MMA competition before, although Colby Covington was submitted by Warrley Alves via guillotine in Covington’s only loss in the sport at UFC 194. But as it stands, Colby Covington will have enough of his hands full in terms of high-level grappling opponents, as he has been given the nod to challenge newly crowned welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in Usman’s first title defense.
Whom do you believe would win in a fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Colby Covington?
