Shavkat Rakhmonov respects Colby Covington as a fighter.
Covington (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) never minces his words when it comes to his opposition or any fighter on the roster, but the former UFC welterweight interim champion’s only two losses in the past six years have come to UFC welterweight champ and No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter Kamaru Usman.
Rakhmonov (16-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) acknowledges Covington’s skills and thinks his brash nature causes him to be under-appreciated as a fighter.
“This guy does a lot of trash talking, and sometimes he crosses the limit with that,” Rakhmonov said in an interview with James Lynch. “But he’s actually a very good fighter, and a lot of people underestimate him. But he’s a very, very tough fighter, good spirit, and he showed that in the last two fights with Usman.”
Covington’s mouth got him in trouble in his past outing against Jorge Masvidal. Covington dominated his former best friend in a lopsided decision win at UFC 272 in March, but their rivalry didn’t end there.
Masvidal couldn’t let go of Covington’s pre-fight trash talk, causing him to allegedly attack Covington outside of a restaurant in Miami just weeks after their fight. Masvidal was arrested and faces a pair of charges, including one count of aggravated battery resulting in great bodily harm and one count of criminal mischief.
Rakhmonov, an undefeated rising welterweight, could find himself fighting the likes of Covington in the near future after breaking into the top 10 rankings with a submission win over Neil Magny this past Saturday at UFC on ESPN 38. “Nomad” has finished all his professional wins.
