“I will make sure he never shows his face in America ever again because of how badly I beat him,”, Colby Covington unleashed chaos through a blistering attack at Gilbert Burns, alluding to a possible matchup with ‘Durinho’. Why such an attack? Well, it was all because the Brazilian fighter leaked Chael Sonnen’s number on social media. It was nothing short of a breach of privacy, and being a close associate of ‘The American Gangster’, understandably Burns’ act enraged ‘Chaos’. He wants to settle the score in the Octagon. But things might not proceed as per Covington’s wishes. 

It all began when Sonnen mistakenly claimed that ‘Durinho’ was retired. Provoked by the false claims, an annoyed Burns leaked his number. Following this, Covington came to Sonnen’s defense in a video he posted, using the Burns’ actions as a reason to pick a fight with the Brazilian. He quoted, “Uncle Chael, if you want me to handle that inside the octagon, I will get justice for us, I will get justice on Gilbert’s f—ing face.” Burns wasn’t one to shy away from the challenge and posted a cheeky response on X, “April? Miami?”

But Dana White has different plans for the Brazilian #8 welterweight contender. Instead of Covington, the UFC head honcho has booked the rising star Michael Morales to fight ‘Durinho’. Krazy Kevin broke the news on X in a recent tweet. He wrote, “Gilbert Burns spoke to Diegão from @AgFight and he believes that the UFC will offer him Michael Morales for his next fight.”

There’s a reason why Colby Covington did not get the Gilbert Burns matchup. And it probably aligns with what the legendary referee Big John McCarthy said about the former interim welterweight champion. Let’s see what he had to say.

Why Colby Covington doesn’t deserve a fight against Gilbert Burns?

To be honest, Colby Covington isn’t in a spot where he can call people out for fights. He just fought Joaquin Buckley at UFC Tampa and lost miserably via doctor’s stoppage, after getting battered for three rounds by ‘New Mansa’. In a recent episode of the Weighing In podcast, McCarthy praised ‘Chaos’ for his resilience, but didn’t tip his hat to the evolution of ‘Chaos’ as a fighter. To be fair to Covington, he deserved the praise since he didn’t back down from Buckley, despite getting outclasses. In the end, he was pretty upset for having his fight stopped early, despite bleeding badly due to lacerations on his eyelid, which could have turned worse. 

McCarthy said the following to Josh Thomson about Colby Covington, “He hasn’t gotten better. He’s gotten worse. I’m just going to be as honest as I can. He’s slowed down. He’s not as fast. His entries for takedowns aren’t as deep, and he doesn’t get where he used to get. All of those things are going to work against him, especially if he fights someone like Gilbert Burns.”

On the other hand, even Gilbert Burns has had issues impressing fans in his last fight in his recent fights. Having three back-to-back losses doesn’t do wonders for anyone’s spirit, especially if one of those losses came via vicious third-round KO after a hard-fought battle – in this case, ‘Durinho’ losing to surging welterweight contender Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 299. He didn’t seem like the same Burns after that fight, as his showing was abysmal against Sean Brady in his last fight, where he lost a three-round unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 242.

Do you think Colby Covington would have been the better opponent for Gilbert Burns? Who do you think would emerge victorious if the two locked horns? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.