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Colby Covington Is ‘Ruining’ Conor McGregor PPV by Ducking, Ian Garry Claims

Published 04/25/2024, 11:18 PM EDT

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Ian Garry wants to fight Colby Covington next. ‘The Future, after his UFC 298 victory over Geoff Neal, called out the villainous former interim welterweight champion and promised to retire the 36-year-old. Covington responded in his characteristic pompous manner, insulting the undefeated Irish prospect’s wife. The duo have been going back and forth on social media since, and Covington is eager to fight the vigorous Donald Trump supporter on UFC 303 on June 29.

The International Fight Week card, will, of course, be marked by the return of the ‘Mac’ where Conor McGregor will face Michael Chandler in a welterweight bout after three years of inactivity. The co-main for 303 has also been announced by the UFC. Jamahal Hill, fresh off his UFC 300 loss to Alex Pereira will face Khalil Rountree in a light heavyweight bout one fight before McGregor’s much-awaited comeback.

However, Garry is determined to change that and wants a fight with Covington to be the co-main event. The only problem? ‘Chaos’, according to the undefeated Irishman, is refusing to sign the contract. “Colby Covington is single handedly ruining #ufc303,” Garry tweeted.

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And this was not the only social media call-out of Covington Garry posted. ‘The Future’ took to his Instagram account where he called on ‘Chaos’ to sign the contract for UFC 303. “Everybody knows who my next fight is. Everybody knows what it is, it’s no secret… All we need is Colby to sign the f***ing contract and say ‘yes’. Let’s go Colby, can’t talk all that sh*t and not back it up,” he said in a video. Covington has yet to respond.

But, knowing ‘Chaos’, the former champion will not miss out on a chance to come into the limelight by clapping back at Garry. Having said that, there are good reasons for Garry wanting to fight Covington, and there are equally good reasons for the American to be hesitant.

Why does Garry want to fight ‘Chaos’?

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Colby Covington is ranked #4 in the welterweight division at the moment. ‘Chaos’, of course, is coming off of a one-sided humiliating loss to welterweight champion Leon Edwards at UFC 297 in December last year. And with his advancing age as well as his recent skid in form, not many expect the American to keep fighting much longer.

Given his seeming decline as well as his relatively high ranking, Covington is a very attractive prospect for the #7 ranked Irishman. Garry will not only be able to break into the top five of the 170-pound division and be firmly in the title picture but he also most probably fancies ‘Chaos’ a relatively easy opponent.

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And for precisely these reasons, Covington may not want to fight Ian Garry. After all, a loss would kick him out of the top five, as well as intensify calls he retires since fans will be quick to call him washed-out as they do to any fighter who finds themself in Covington’s position.

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Plus, Garry, who seems to be in his athletic prime, is quicker and sharper than the American. In addition, the Irishman’s slick and accurate striking-first fighting style is exactly what Covington faced in his last fight against the champion. While Garry may not quite be at Edwards’ level yet, the stylistic matchup is also not a favorable one for the American. However, given that anyone with any star power, such as Shavkat Rakhmonov, Belal Muhammad, and Jack Della Madalena are likely to be even tougher fights than Garry, it seems Covington may not have much of a chance. For Colby Covington, all roads seem to be leading to Ian Garry. Whether at UFC 303 or not, however, remains to be seen.

What do you think about Garry fighting Covington at UFC 303? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Written by:

Kanishk Thakur

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Kanishk Thakur is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports with nearly 5 years of professional writing experience. Kanishk has expertly covered the heated rivalries of the fight game, and delivered meticulous reports of payouts of PPV events and Fight Nights, in addition to covering the personal side of fighters outside the sport. He is also an ardent Joe Rogan fan, who hopes to draw in more fans to the sport as Rogan did for him.
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Edited by:

Joyita Das