logo
Colby Covington only wants legacy fights, interested in 'weight bully' Paddy Pimblett

Colby Covington only wants legacy fights, interested in 'weight bully' Paddy Pimblett

USA Today7 hours ago
Colby Covington has his sights set on one of the biggest stars in the UFC.
Covington (17-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC) hasn't competed since a stoppage loss to Joaquin Buckley in the UFC on ESPN 63 headliner last December. The former interim welterweight champion is no longer looking to face rising contenders and wants established names only.
"I'm not done with the UFC. I still have some unfinished business, but I want big fights – high-level, first-ballot Hall of Famer type fights ... legacy fights.," Covington said in an interview with Matan Even.
After coaching opposite side Covington as assistants on Season 33 of "The Ultimate Fighter," Michael Chiesa was hoping to draw Covington next. However, "Chaos" has turned his attention to Paddy Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC), who he had an altercation with during UFC 314.
"I think the Paddy Pimblett fight is interesting," Covington said. "He's got a little bit of a name right now, but only because he's got an English accent and a bowl cut. He's actually bigger than me. He's a weight bully. He cuts a lot of weight."
However, Pimblett appears to have bigger attention to attend to after facing off with newly crowned lightweight champion Ilia Topuria after Saturday's UFC 317 main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Former UFC fighter Ben Askren receives double lung transplant due to pneumonia battle, wife says
Former UFC fighter Ben Askren receives double lung transplant due to pneumonia battle, wife says

Fox News

time17 minutes ago

  • Fox News

Former UFC fighter Ben Askren receives double lung transplant due to pneumonia battle, wife says

Former UFC fighter Ben Askren's wife, Amy, revealed that her husband received a double lung transplant. Askren has been in the hospital being treated with a severe case of pneumonia for several weeks. Amy Aksren wrote that her husband was on life support for some time before receiving the transplant. She wrote on Facebook Monday that, after weeks of waiting for a donor, her husband finally found one. "We are forever thankful to the donor and his family," Amy wrote. "This is the beginning of a new lifestyle for Ben, but every new day he has is a gift. It still doesn't feel real that he was walking around completely healthy just 5 weeks ago. So much can change so quickly. "Please keep Ben in your prayers that his body welcomes the new lungs as if they were his own." Amy said on June 24 that Ben was placed on the transplant list. A donation page was set up to help fund Askren's treatment earlier this month, and it was updated by Amy nine days after it went live to say Ben was on a ventilator. She added that doctors were able to "wean his sedation enough for him to open his eyes and squeeze hands." "I am constantly in awe of all the people carrying us through right now," Amy continued. "I can't wait to tell Ben all about It. I'm hopeful that in coming weeks Ben will be able to give the next update, but hopefully he will wait until the drugs wear off." Askren retired from mixed martial arts in 2019 after owning a 19-2 record. He only fought three times in UFC, winning just one of his bouts. In 2021, he also fought Jake Paul in a boxing match, where he was knocked out in the first round. Paul recently said that he plans on donating to Askren to help with medical bills after his recent fight against Julio César Chávez Jr. Askren was also a wrestler, winning two NCAA titles, while also representing the United States in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

MMA Junkie's Knockout of the Month for June: Ilia Topuria calls his shot and makes history
MMA Junkie's Knockout of the Month for June: Ilia Topuria calls his shot and makes history

USA Today

timean hour ago

  • USA Today

MMA Junkie's Knockout of the Month for June: Ilia Topuria calls his shot and makes history

Steve Collins Wins!KO (Slam), Round 1 – 2:30#LFA210 || #Louisville #Kentucky With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from June 2025: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie's Knockout of the Month award for June. At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice. Nominee: Steve Collins def. Gabariel Brown at LFA 210 Steve Collins (5-0) found himself defending an armbar in the first round of his 152-pound catchweight fight against Gaberial Brown (4-3). There are a few techniques available to fend off the limb submission, but Collins opted for the most savage option. Collins got his feet under him, and deadlifted Brown high in the air, and then dropped him on his head, "Rampage" Jackson style. Brown appeared out cold from the impact with the canvas, but a few follow-up punches were landed before the referee could rush in to stop the fight. Nominee: Billy Alexander def. Zachary Siemasko at Ring of Combat 86 Billy Alexander (1-0) couldn't have fathomed a more brutal finish in his MMA debut when he put Zachary Seimasko (0-1) out cold in scary fashion. After some sloppy action that would be expected out of two professional newcomers, Alexander charged at Seimasko with a flying knee that instantly send him flying backward unconscious. DAMNN. Brutal flying knee KO by Billy Alexander at ROC #ROC86 Nominee: Malcolm Wellmaker def. Kris Moutinho at UFC on ESPN 69 Malcolm Wellmaker (10-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) gave the Atlanta crowd what it wanted with a devastating one-punch knockout of Kris Moutinho (14-7 MMA, 0-3 UFC). Georgia native Wellmaker continued to add to his hype as a bantamweight prospect to watch with an absolutely perfect right hook that put Moutinho out on impact and sent him face planted into the canvas less than three minutes into the fight. Malcolm Wellmaker 😮‍💨 Nominee: Gregory Rodriguez def. Jack Hermansson at UFC 317 Gregory Rodrigues scored a vicious one-punch knockout of Jack Hermansson that will be the new standard of his highlight reel. In the first round of the middleweight bout, Rodrigues (17-6 MMA, 8-3 UFC) caught Hermansson (24-9 MMA, 11-7 UFC) with a clean left hand that immediately stiffened him on the canvas. One unnecessary hammer fist sealed the show. Hermansson was down for several minutes after the knockout blow connected, but eventually got back to his feet and left the octagon under his own power. GREGORY RODRIGUES WITH A LETHAL LEFT HOOK KO TO CLOSE OUT THE PRELIMS 😱ANOTHER FIRST-ROUND FINISH AT #UFC317 😮Watch #UFC317 TONIGHT at 10 PM ET on ESPN+ PPV ➡️ The winner: Ilia Topuria def. Charles Oliveira via punches at UFC 317 Ilia Topuria has gold around his waist once again. In the UFC 317 main event, Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) knocked out Charles Oliveira in 2:27 and claimed a championship – this time, at lightweight. The fight was wild for as long as it lasted. Oliveira (35-11 MMA, 23-11 UFC) was cut in the opening minute. When he tried to drag the fight to the canvas, Topuria reversed his attempt and landed on top. Oliveira attempted a heel hook, which Topuria wiggled away from. Back on the feet, Topuria cracked him with a straight right hand that instantly snatched Oliveira's consciousness from him. Two more follow-up shots smashed Oliveira's face before the fight was waved off. ILIA TOPURIA JUST KNOCKED OUT CHARLES OLIVEIRA IN THE FIRST ROUND TO WIN THE LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE 😱HE IS INEVITABLE 🔥🔥 #UFC317 Topuria, 28, won the UFC featherweight title in October. He vacated the title months later, citing weight cut issues. A breakthrough star in the Spanish and Georgian markets, Topuria became the first undefeated fighter to win a second UFC title. Cast Your Vote!

‘He's Avoiding The Real No. 1 Contender'
‘He's Avoiding The Real No. 1 Contender'

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

‘He's Avoiding The Real No. 1 Contender'

Ilia Topuria just knocked out another one of the toughest legends in the sport, but that hasn't stopped him from being accused of ducking opponents in his new weight class. On Saturday night Topuria followed through on his promise to KO Charles Oliveira in the first round of their UFC 317 lightweight title fight (watch highlights here). 'El Matador' made it look easy, just like he made knocking Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway out look easy. Advertisement Any concern that Ilia's power would not translate to 155 can be put to rest. Oliveira is a guy who has walked through the fire against some of the hardest hitters at lightweight and come out unscathed. This time he was knocked out cold on the canvas, staring blankly at the T-Mobile Arena rafters. With Topuria the new lightweight champion, the big question is: what's next? There's a lot of momentum on an Ilia Topuria vs. Paddy Pimblett fight after 'The Baddy' was let into the cage to get into a yelling / shoving match with 'El Matador.' But the No. 8 ranked lightweight is nowhere near the most deserving option when it comes to level of challenge. No. 1 ranked Arman Tsarukyan stepped on the scales at UFC 317 as a backup for Topuria vs. Oliveira, redeeming himself after a bad weight cut led to his withdrawal from a lightweight title fight in January. He was quick to criticize Topuria for scuffling with Topuria. 'It was never supposed to be Charles. I can finish Ilia, simple as that,' Tsarukyan tweeted. 'And he knows it too. That's why he's avoiding the real #1 contender.' Advertisement Justin Gaethje was in attendance at UFC 317 but hasn't shared his thoughts on not even getting a mention from Topuria. He was reportedly 'pissed off' over not being included in the fight for the vacant lightweight title and recently said the UFC 'owed him' a title shot after he fought Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313 on short notice after Dan Hooker withdrew. And let's not forget that Islam Makhachev is out there in beltless limbo, waiting for his fight with welterweight champ Jack Della Maddalena to be booked. Win or lose, Makhachev vs. Topuria is exactly the kind of fight the UFC should book if they're serious about the best fighting the best. We could debate who deserves what, but that seems foolish when the UFC cares more about what works for their schedule and finances. Paddy Pimblett is clearly angling to jump the line, and the money the UFC could make off that easy match-up might make it hard to turn down. But let's not pretend he's the worthiest contender for Topuria's first lightweight title defense. More from

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store