"Colby ducking Khamzat" - Fans question Colby Covington's absence as Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz targeted for UFC 279

Fans are inquisitive about Colby Covington amidst reports of a potential bout between Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz. Top UFC executive Hunter Campbell recently told ESPN MMA's Brett Okamoto that a five-round headliner between Chimaev and Diaz has been verbally agreed upon fro UFC 279.

Several fans now have their doubts confirmed about Covington allegedly ducking the surging Chechen-born Swede. @the3els wrote on Twitter:

"Colby ducking Khamzat unless khamzat goes in an aging machine and comes out a 50 year old man"

Check out the tweets below:

According to several others, Covington vs. Chimaev was the fight to make in the welterweight division. Many expect 'Borz' to make quick work of Diaz at the UFC 279 headliner.

Chimaev is currently undefeated in five UFC outings, topped off by an iconic battle against Gilbert Burns in his last outing at UFC 273. 'Borz' issued a callout to Covington after his unanimous decision win over 'Durinho'.

Meanwhile, Diaz is coming off a lopsided decision loss against Leon Edwards in June last year and hasn't recorded a victory since August 2019. The Stockton slugger opened as a massive +775 underdog to Chimaev's -1100 favorite status.

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Dana White says Colby Covington could return at three different weight classes

Colby Covington scored a dominant decision win over former teammate turned archrival Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272 in March. The fight hardly settled any grudges as Covington and Masvidal got into a scuffle outside a Miami steakhouse, hardly two weeks removed from the bout.

'Chaos' accused Masvidal of sucker punching him twice in the face, which reportedly left him with a broken tooth. Covington also complained of an abrasion on the wrist and demanded $15,000 in reparation for his Rolex watch, which was reportedly damaged during the altercation.

'Gamebred' was charged with one felony count of aggravated battery with a mask and one felony count of criminal mischief, to which he pleaded not guilty. While Masvidal has made media appearances since the incident, fans are yet to hear from Covington.

UFC president Dana White previously stated that the ongoing lawsuit should not be a hindrance to Covington and Masvidal's fighting careers. As per the UFC honcho's latest account, 'Chaos' has stated that he could fight at three different weight classes. White recently said during the UFC Long Island post-fight scrum:

“White says that Colby stated he’d fight at 155, 170 or 185, so there are a lot of potential options.”