Colby Covington, currently focused on the UFC welterweight title, has revealed his plans for 2024 involve a potential move up to middleweight.
Despite his upcoming main event bout with Leon Edwards at UFC 296, Covington expressed a desire to face the undisputed middleweight champion, Sean Strickland.
“He’s pretending to be everything he wishes I was,” Covington told Code Sports.
“I’d love to slap Sean Strickland around. He’s just a pathetic excuse of a human being, the guy has literally no fricking IQ.
“The guy’s so f***g stupid. The things he says, he needs to get his mouth wired shut and I’m the guy to do it.
“The UFC knows I’m the one that can end these guys that hate the company and they hate the world, so I would love to fight Sean Strickland.”
The reason behind Covington‘s interest in Strickland remains unclear, but it seems the Las Vegas native’s recent comments have sparked a desire for a personal confrontation.
While Covington shuts down other middleweight fight suggestions, a potential clash with Strickland could add an intriguing layer to his 2024 plans.
Extended offer to McGregor
Back in July, Covington extended an offer to Conor McGregor for a welterweight title shot, emphasizing that a potential matchup between them would be the most significant pairing the UFC could create.
“That’s the big fight, that’s what people want to see,” Covington said.
“They want to see USA vs. Ireland, they want to see the money fight. That fight sells. I think that’s the biggest fight the UFC could ever do. And I think it lines up perfectly after I beat Leon Edwards ‘Scissorhands’ this fall.”