As the UFC interim welterweight champion Colby Covington should be the next man in line for undisputed welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. Unfortunately for Covington, the UFC had other plans.
When Covington wasn’t ready to battle Woodley at UFC 228 on September 8, the UFC elected to give the next title shot to undefeated Brit Darren Till. Covington, meanwhile, will be stripped of his interim belt the moment the first punch is thrown in this Woodley vs. Till title fight.
Speaking to MMAjunkie this week, Covington opened up on being deprived of the title shot he’s earned.
“Why are they trying to rush a camp?” Covington said (via Sherdog.com). “This fight needs a build-up, man. It needs a 12-week promotional build-up. Let me get out there and show that I can promote, and I can market fights and sell fights. Because nobody’s selling fights like me. I know how to do that now. These other guys, they don’t know how to do that. I wanted the fight, but I didn’t want the date. There was no way I was going to be ready. It’s only been up for me. I don’t think about the negative in my life. I just think about the positives. They’re not stripping anything. I earned that belt. The only way you can take that belt is by beating me in the Octagon, and there’s not a man alive that can beat me. Whether it’s ‘Tyquil’ Woodley or ‘Tillsbury Doughboy,’ I’ll be ready for that No. 1 contender fight.”
While Covington is understandably not happy, he’s hellbent on fighting the winner of Woodley and Till’s fight.
“I want this fight more than anything,” Covington said. “I want this fight more than I want to breathe. Literally, that’s how badly I want this fight.”
“It sucks. (The UFC is) looking at the short-term goals. Woodley-Till, that’s not going to do over 100,000 (pay-per-view) buys. I don’t know why they’re rushing to make that fight. Me and ‘Tyquil,’ that was going to be a big money fight. That was going to be a draw. That’s the fight I built. …
“It sucks, but it is what it is. Now, this time, I’m just hoping Tyron doesn’t (expletive) this up. That’s all I can say to him, is Tyron, don’t (expletive) this up. I built this. You didn’t build this.”
Colby Covington won the UFC interim welterweight belt with an impressive decision defeat of former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 225 in June. He’s a strong 14-1 overall.
Do you think Colby Covington deserved the next shot at Tyron Woodley?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 8/9/2018.