It’s offic͏ial͏! Colby Covi͏͏ngton vs. Ian Gar͏ry͏ ͏has come to a halt after months o͏f a͏nticipa͏tion. ͏The Irishman has been͏ callin͏g ou͏t Co͏ving͏t͏on for a ͏͏f͏i͏͏ght since his last͏ v͏ic͏tory a͏g͏͏ainst͏ Geoff Neal. Ho͏͏weve͏r͏, Covington made it ͏c͏lear t͏͏ha͏t for ͏him to fight Garr͏y,͏ he wou͏l͏d have ͏t͏o im͏prov͏e hi͏s rankings. ͏As o͏f now͏,͏ Covington is ranked 4t͏h in the ͏welterw͏eight rankings, wh͏ile G͏arry is at 7th͏.

Nonethe͏le͏͏͏ss,͏ Covi͏n͏gton g͏͏ave a mi͏nu͏scule reason for͏ turning down Ga͏rr͏y. However, this might prove to be harsh for the former welterweight title contender. According to a UFC insider, ‘Chaos’ position is a bit rough in the promotion right now and if he turns down Garry then he would have to face Shavkat Rakhmonov next.

Colby Covington has limited choices on his hands

Ducking Ian Garry might prove to be risky for ‘Chaos’ as his next opponent might be someone who has yet to taste defeat and has finished every opponent he has ever faced in the promotions. According to former dual weight champion and UFC insider, Daniel Cormier, Colby Covington has to choose between Ian Garry and Shavkat Rakhmonov for his upcoming fight. “I will tell you this much: if you keep saying no to Ian Gary, you might end up with Shavkat Rakhmonov. Which one do you choose?” said Daniel Cormier on his YouTube channel.

He further added, “Because right now, it’s going to be one of those guys. I think the days of him fighting guys that have been around for a long time are kind of over. So, he needs to make a decision about what he wants to do as a fighter and what he wants to do going forward.” 

The͏ir ri͏valry began when Colby ͏C͏ovington laun͏ched a rel͏entless͏ att͏ack aft͏er͏ Layla M͏achado͏͏’s book sur͏faced.͏ Coving͏͏ton was completely unf͏iltered in his ͏͏appr͏oach, cal͏ling out Garry ͏for his wi͏fe’s actions. Despite this,͏ ͏’Future’ consiste͏ntly called out Cov͏͏i͏ngton f͏͏or a fight.͏ However, th͏e ve͏rdict ͏ha͏s be͏en made, a͏nd ‘Ch͏aos͏’ has officiall͏y b͏acke͏d out from the fight. This could pot͏entially hav͏e adverse effects͏ on h͏is portfoli͏o.

To provide you an interesting statistics. Covington hasn’t beaten any currently ranked fighter. Every ranked fighter he beat has retired from the promotion. The road ahead for the former welterweight contender is harsh but he is still optimistic that the UFC and Dana White might give him fights that will drag him closer to the welterweight gold.

‘Chaos’ demands legacy fights from the promotion

The UFC has already given three chances to Colby Covington to clinch the ‘170’ lbs gold, but he has failed on all three occasions. His last outing against Leon Edwards was a disaster as he not only failed to capture the title but also showcased a lackluster performance. Despite this, ‘Chaos’ is confident that he is just one win away from clinching the welterweight gold.  While having a conversation with ‘Submission’ radio, Covington emphasized that he wants legacy fights now.

“I would like to fight Belal; he’s talked a lot of smacks, and now he’s squatting on his ranking guys; he should have to come out and fight. He doesn’t deserve a title fight, guys. He’s been out for over a year. I want legacy fights; I think a guy like Charles Oliveira makes sense. He was out there saying the other day that he wants to become a welterweight. Charles Oliveira, you want this fight; you want to really come up to welterweight; let’s see if you’re about it or if you’re just talking.” said Colby Covington.

It must be noted that Covington has said that he will be returning to the Octagon in the summer and well the season is coming to an end and the American has to take a fight soon. Ian Garry has already made peace with Covington saying no to him and he might face Michael Venom Page soon. Nonetheless, what’s your take on Colby Covington’s decisions? State your opinion in the comments below.