After Colby Covington’s second straight loss, this time against Joaquin Buckley last weekend, the big question is: what’s next for the former title challenger? UFC veteran Chael Sonnen believes the perfect opponent for Covington right now is none other than welterweight contender Ian Garry.
With Garry climbing the ranks and Covington looking to bounce back, Sonnen sees this matchup as a logical next step for both fighters. It’s a clash of styles, experiences, and personalities that could make for a must-watch showdown.
During the latest episode of ‘Good Guy/Bad Guy’ with Daniel Cormier, Sonnen was asked what should be next for Covington. To which Sonnen replied saying,
“I think the plan right now with him, if Hunter and Dana were to just book it would be against Ian Garry. I think that is the plan now. These wins go pretty fast. When they came in and spoke to him Colby was on the doctor’s table, a plastic surgeon was stitching him up. It was pretty pleasing to watch.”
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Sonnen went on to add that when a fighter is ‘done’ in the sport, the first thing he loses is his will to go forward and keep pushing in the second, third, and fourth rounds. He noted that during the fight, Covington never stopped pushing forward, which according to Sonnen means that he is not done in the sport.
‘The Bad Guy’ admitted that Covington seemed slow and could not keep up with Buckely, especially from a defensive point of view. However, he believes that ‘Chaos’ has a lot more left in the tank and is not done by any means in the UFC. A fight against Garry makes a lot of sense given both are coming off recent losses and the bad blood between them.
However, Sonnen’s words should be taken with a grain of salt since he was in Covington’s corner for the Buckley fight. Covington didn’t just look slow, he looked out of place the moment the gates of the octagon shut behind him.
Garry, on the other hand, almost handed Rakhmonov, the boogeyman of the welterweight division his first loss in the UFC. So maybe, pushing Covington against a younger, hungrier fighter like Garry isn’t a great idea right now.
But since Covington considers his performance against Buckley to have been a competitive one…
What did Covington say about his loss?
Covington doesn’t see his latest loss as a “real” loss. In the UFC Tampa main event, Joaquin Buckley earned a TKO victory after a doctor stopped the fight due to a nasty cut over Covington’s eye. By Round 3, Covington’s face was covered in blood. Buckley had successfully defended most of his takedown attempts and his strikes bounced off Covington’s face and sounded like a baseball smashing against the bat.
So, it was definitely a good idea to have the fight stopped.
Howevever, UFC CEO Dana White has since suggested the fight wouldn’t have been stopped in Las Vegas, and Covington couldn’t agree more.
“I wasn’t at my best tonight,” Covington admitted post-fight, explaining he took the bout on short notice after stepping in for Ian Machado Garry. He also claimed Buckley’s strikes didn’t faze him, insisting the fight was starting to swing in his favor.
“I was wearing him down, and I could see him tiring,” Covington said, adding that he thought a headbutt may have caused the cut.
It didn’t.
Sonnen, in Covington’s corner also praised his toughness, saying the fight felt like it was shifting in Round 3. Sonnen pointed out Covington’s forward pressure and kicks, believing the stoppage didn’t reflect how the fight was playing out.
Covington remains confident and promises a stronger return, saying, “The doctor stopped me, not Buckley.”
