Covington Open To Fight Anyone – On One Condition
It’s been a crazy week in the UFC welterweight division, with lots of back and forth between the love triangle at the top of the WW division, Tyron Woodley, Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington. With Ben Askren also chipping in here and there. So pretty much like any other week over the last few months then!
After it was announced that Usman had been chosen to challenge ‘The Chosen One’ next and Covington showed his anger at the situation (you can read about him challenging Dana White to cut him from the UFC here), it looked like some order had been restored in the 170lbs division.
If you were a betting man, you would have bet that Covington would sit out and wait for his shot at the title. Especially as Woodley said he planned to beat Usman in March and then face ‘Chaos’ in June (read about that here).
However, Covington has now said that will fight Darren Till. Or anyone else. But on one condition.
“They can get me to fight whoever but they’re going to have to give me undisputed championship pay,” Covington told MMA Weekly. “I’m not going to go backwards. I was promised an undisputed title shot and undisputed pay, I’m not fighting for anything less than undisputed pay. I’m not going to fight for less money.
“They want me to fight Darren Till? Fine, no big deal, I’ll fight him but I’m getting my undisputed championship title fight pay to fight him.”
I think this is a pretty smart move by Covington. It’s allowed him to back down from what he said previously, that he would only fight for the belt next, but still feel like he’s sticking to his guns. And although he’s said that publicly, whether he’ll only accept full championship pay for the Till fight, which is the UFC apparently wants to make for UFC London, we’ll have to wait and see.