[autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] hopes [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] can prove his worth and earn another chance to fight for the UFC welterweight title. But he doesn’t see that happening.
After Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) took the 170-pound belt from Leon Edwards in the UFC 304 headliner last month, three-time title challenger Covington (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC ) came out and criticized the performance. “Chaos” said he would do everything in his power to secure a showdown with the new champion, but he doesn’t expect Muhammad to hold the title for long.
Muhammad naturally disagrees with this opinion and plans to have a long reign. He’s amused by Covington’s sudden fixation on facing him after being ignored for years leading up to his championship win, and while he’d love to silence one of the UFC’s most outspoken athletes in the Octagon, he struggles to see a scenario in which Covington can guarantee a fourth golden chance.
“He’s a joke,” Muhammad told MMA Junkie. “What is he, 0-3 in title fights? All I needed was one turn to do it. You’ll never touch the gold. You’ll never be who I am. Just keep talking, brother. You said keep the even energy when I see you. Please. Let me see, I beg you. Let me see you in public, because unless he actually fights with other guys, he won’t get another chance.
“I hope he has a good run and beats some of these contenders and figures out a way to fight me in the cage. But all you have to do is meet me at a steakhouse and we’ll see if you keep it up. same energy.”
With Covington rightfully off Muhammad’s short-term target list, the new champion has said he wants to return to the cage for his first title defense this year and sees undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov or former champion Kamaru Usman as possible candidates.
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This article was originally published on MMA Junkie: Belal Muhammad responds to Colby Covington’s criticism of winning the UFC title: ‘You’ll never touch the gold’
