Colby Covington isn’t ready to hang up gloves following his latest setback.
The 36-year-old welterweight suffered a third-round doctor’s stoppage loss to Joaquin Buckley due to a cut in the UFC’s final event of 2024. The defeat marked Covington’s third loss in his last four fights, leading many fans to speculate that he might retire.
However, Covington has since confirmed his intention to continue competing in 2025. In fact, he’s even considering a mover up to the UFC’s middleweight division as he looks to revitalise his career.
Colby Covington Eyes Potential Move to Middleweight for New UFC Challenges
Colby Covington has long claimed to be one of the smaller fighters in the welterweight division. The outspoken fighter has previously called out lightweight standouts like Islam Makhachev, Dustin Poirier, and Charles Oliveira, who he believes is his size or even larger but cut significant weight to compete at 155 pounds. Despite the logical option of moving down to lightweight, Covington is instead entertaining the idea of stepping up to middleweight for a potential run at the division’s champion, Dricus Du Plessis. Speaking during an appearance on Submission Radio Colby said;
“Honestly, 185 is intriguing,”
“I think it would be kind of cool to go up there with the narrative like, ‘Oh, this guy’s a small 170. He’s going to go up to 185 and take on an even bigger challenge.’ So, there’s a possibility. I’m always looking for the biggest and best fights.”
Colby Covington emphasised that while nothing is set in stone, he is open to exploring all options;
“I’m not sure. We’ll see what’s on the table, who’s hot at the time. I’m just always looking for the biggest and best fights, so it doesn’t matter—any weight class.”
To prepare for a move to middleweight, Covington discussed a potential change in his training approach;
“I think I would go into a heavy lifting program because I’ve always focused on cardio and high-intensity interval training. I’d take two, three, maybe four months to focus on a good weight regimen, build muscle, and gain power to be strong at that weight class.”
Covington also pointed out why welterweights often find success at middleweight citing examples like Robert Whittaker and Sean Strickland.
“Those guys leave welterweight, where the fighters are fast and have great cardio—some of the best athletes on the planet—and they move up to middleweight, where the competition is slower and less athletic. That’s why they’ve had so much success.”
Covington’s potential move to 185 pounds adds an intriguing layer to his career as he seeks new challenges and opportunities in the UFC.
Colby Covington: I Could Easily Beat Sean Strickland in a Fight
Colby Covington believes that despite Sean Strickland’s status as one of the top middleweights, he could defeat the former champion with relative ease.
“Sean Strickland’s fights are always interesting,”
“But you know, he’s had some things to say about me in the past, and I don’t think he’s anything special.”
“He’s got a jab and a front kick, but once you shut those down, he’s very limited. He’s a cardio fighter, just a cardio kickboxer, essentially. I don’t see any real threats from Sean Strickland. It’s an entertaining fight, though, and one I might consider in the future.”
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
