Robert Whittaker thinks Colby Covington is cooked. His latest performance against Joaquin Buckley at UFC Tampa last week was mostly a one-sided beatdown. So handily was ‘Chaos’ being beaten up by ‘New Mansa’, that the fight was stopped in the third round by the doctor who ruled that ‘Chaos’ just cannot continue fighting. This perhaps helped the former interim champ save face by not being thoroughly humiliated. In fact, the former 185lbs king feels that Covington “looks like to me he didn’t want to be there” against Buckley.

‘Chaos’, of course, took the Buckley bout on short notice and didn’t have a full camp. But Whittaker was still worried that Covington may not have the fire to fight the top guys anymore. “I didn’t see any hunger in his eyes, I didn’t. The faces he was making when he was getting hit weren’t good, you know. Obviously, nobody likes getting hit, but like you’re in the top 10 of the best fighters in the world, dude!” ‘The Reaper’ said on his podcast on YouTube.

“This isn’t the Covington we saw going up through the rankings… I’ve seen a massive change. People have picked up on his trick. Like his trick is like his cardio and his wrestling,” Whittaker further reflected.

Covington was also comprehensively beaten by then-champion Leon Edwards at UFC 296. He looked like a pale shadow of his former self in this bout as well. But many were expecting him to bounce back strongly against Buckley. But why? Because ‘New Mansa’ is a pure striker and was seen as a favorable matchup for ‘Covington’s chain-wrestling style. Well, the exact opposite happened as Buckley dominated ‘Chaos’, which even surprised ‘Bobby Knuckles’, who feels ‘Chaos’ is over the hill now.

“But of all people, I thought we could have seen old Colby against Buckley of all people. Buckley said ‘nah’ and just went to work. And I think maybe Colby’s left the building, you know,” Whittaker added ominously. ‘Chaos’s steep decline and recent string of losses over the past year, of course, raises one very important question among fans.

What is next for Colby Covington?

Colby Covington is in no-man’s land at the moment. The former interim champ has slid down the rankings to #9 after the Buckley loss. Moreover, he doesn’t have a clear next opponent. With his recent record, he is not in a position to fight any of the top guys in the division next. The only opponents in the top ten he could fight are the legendary Gilbert Burns, who is ready and willing to face ‘Chaos’ in Miami in April 2025, and perhaps #10 ranked Geoff Neal.

Or, he could serve as a gatekeeper and face Michael Morales or Carlos Prates, who are looking to break into the top ten. But in bad news for the American, the possibility of another title shot looks increasingly remote for him. After all, ‘Chaos’ is 36 and has been fighting only once a year. Making his way up to the top will take at least three to four good wins. And if he maintains his current level of activity, the fervent Trump supporter will be 40 by the time he gets there.

By which time he may well have retired or be denied a title shot on account of his age. What do you think about Robert Whittaker’s take on Colby Covington’s recent loss? Tell us in the comment section below!