'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQf/2gAIAQEAAAAAkoX/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/9oACAECEAAAAE//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAC/9oACAEDEAAAAF//xAAfEAABBAICAwAAAAAAAAAAAAACAQMEEQUGACJCcaH/2gAIAQEAAT8A0DW42Qf2EsnlYcNqJCozOKcle/kCUnZK+8cx+QbcIGphk2K0JVVp6vn/xAAZEQABBQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADAAECEiL/2gAIAQIBAT8Agcln0v/EABYRAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAP/aAAgBAwEBPwBgYN//2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
#4. Colby Covington vs. Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson
Another opponent that makes sense for Colby Covington in the top-5 of the UFC welterweight rankings is Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson. If a bout with Gilbert Burns doesn't come to fruition, a bout with Thompson would be an appealing matchup.
Thompson is currently the fifth-ranked welterweight and is scheduled to fight Belal Muhammad at a Fight Night event next month. If Thompson picks up the win, it could set him up for a bout with Covington. This would be significant for 'Wonderboy' because a win over both fighters could propel him to a title shot against Kamaru Usman.
Thompson's unanimous decision loss to Gilbert Burns at UFC 264 derailed his title aspirations for the moment. Prior to the loss to Burns, 'Wonderboy' was on a two-fight winning streak that included wins over Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal. Covington has bashed Thompson's fighting style in previous interviews, so it won't be hard for 'Wonderboy' to find motivation.
#3. Colby Covington vs. Dustin Poirier
If Covington chooses to pursue lucrative fights instead of one with implications on the rankings, Dustin Poirier would make sense. There's bad blood between the former American Top Team teammates and both haven't shied away from sharing how they feel about one another.
Poirier has his hands full at lightweight at the moment as he'll be challenging Charles Oliveira for the UFC lightweight championship at UFC 269. But, Poirier moving up to welterweight for a showdown against Covington shouldn't be ruled out.
Following his loss to Usman at UFC 268, Covington addressed whether he'd move down to 155lbs to fight Poirier. Covington mentioned that when both he and Poirier trained together at ATT, Poirier weighed more than him. This makes things interesting because there wouldn't be a significant size advantage if the two were to fight in the octagon.
Poirier is coming off back-to-back wins over Conor McGregor which surely earned him a significant payday. 'The Diamond' could take advantage of the animosity with Covington and move up to welterweight for another lucrative fight. Poirier-Covington would be a fun fight to watch regardless of whether Poirier defeats Oliveira for the lightweight title or not.
