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Colby Covington recently reiterated his intention to move up to middleweight to challenge divisional monarch Israel Adesanya. However, UFC president Dana White isn't too keen on the idea.
According to White, 'Chaos' will have to prove himself against a bona fide middleweight contender for him to be considered an option. During an interview with TMZ Sports, the UFC boss said:
"I mean, Colby would have to go up and beat [Jared] Cannonier or [Robert] Whittaker or somebody like that to even be in the discussion with a fight with Adesanya."
Watch Dana White's interview with TMZ Sports below:
Adesanya has asserted his dominance over the 185-pound weight class after vanquishing his biggest rival Robert Whittaker at UFC 271. On the same card, Jared Cannonier seemingly secured the next title opportunity with his spectacular come-from-behind win against Derek Brunson.
'The Killa Gorilla' is now expected to challenge for the title next. Whittaker also believes his rivalry with Adesanya isn't over, saying the trilogy bout is "inevitable."
Meanwhile, Covington is gearing up for a highly-anticipated grudge match against his former close friend, Jorge Masvidal. The duo of former multi-time title challengers will collide in the main event of UFC 272, which will be underway this Saturday.
Colby Covington likes his chances against Israel Adesanya
Colby Covington will headline one of the most anticipated non-title fights in recent memory against Jorge Masvidal this weekend. However, Dana White stated that even a convincing win for Covington won't be enough to earn him a third welterweight title shot, given he's 0-2 against the reigning champion.
With that in mind, Covington seems to be trying to insert himself into the 185-pound title picture. In a recent interview with Yahoo! Sports, 'Chaos' said:
"I'm not opposed to going up to 185 pounds and beating up 'Stylebender' [Israel Adesanya]. That guy, he’s not a well-rounded fighter. He can’t keep up with my pace. I know I can take him down and drown him. So there’s a lot of options out there for me. If I don’t get a chance to do my third fight with Usman, then it’s okay."
Watch Colby Covington's full interview with Yahoo! Sports below:
