Colby Covington wants to welcome Paddy Pimblett to the UFC welterweight division.
The three-time title challenger (17-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC) hasn’t fought since being stopped by Joaquin Buckley in the main event of UFC Tampa last December. Despite the weight-class gap, ‘Chaos’ says he would relish the chance to face Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) when he finally returns to the Octagon.
“I mean the Paddy Pimblett fight (is) super interesting (to) me because in Miami, he was talking s***, running his mouth backstage like I wasn't even looking at him or talking to him,” Covington told Helen Yee. “He wants to start some s***, he's been saying some s***.
“He was saying (in an) interview the other day his doctor said he had liver failure from cutting to 155. Dude, come up a weight class, come to 170. Why are you being a weight bully, Patty? You know you're a bum. You're a gimmick. You're a f***ing, you know, little English accent and your little bowl cut. That's the only reason people know you. So let's get it going, Paddy. And if I can't get Paddy, then maybe Gilbert Burns.”
If Pimblett decides to move up to 170 pounds, he would be following in the footsteps of Islam Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC), who recently vacated the UFC lightweight title to challenge newly crowned welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena (18-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) at Madison Square Garden on November 15.
“Yeah, it's an interesting fight,” Covington said of the UFC 322 main event. “I'm excited to see how it goes. You know, Islam, you know, is a lightweight. He's gonna be a little smaller in the fight, but he's a well-rounded fighter. So, you know, if he's able to take down JDM and control him, you know, he could definitely get the job done. But it's gonna be interesting to see how the size advantage plays a difference in the fight.
“I know what the odds, if they're going three to one, but just because JDM doesn't have good takedown defense, but you never know. It's a fight, and JDM has some good hands. So, it should be an exciting fight for the fans.”
