Gilbert Burns Gets Brutally Honest on Colby Covington vs. Khamzat Chimaev; Believes the Fight Is in Jeopardy

Colby Covington has been in the news for the wrong reasons recently. However, behind the haziness of controversy lies an incredible fighter who is in great form. ‘Chaos’ is ready for his next fight, and Dana White has hinted that it might be Khamzat Chimaev.

The rising prospect in the welterweight division recently defeated Gilbert Burns via unanimous decision in an exceptional three-round battle. He jumped to the #3 rank in the division and is backed by White to take on Covington next.

However, Chimaev’s recent opponent Burns can’t see ‘Chaos’ accepting this fight. During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, ‘Durinho’ revealed that he doesn’t believe Covington will agree to a proposed fight against Chimaev.

“That’s a tough fight, but first thing is first – Colby has to accept the fight and I don’t think he will,” Burns said. He added, “I don’t know why, but I just have a feeling he won’t accept the fight. That’s the feeling that I have.” 

“I think it will be a very tough fight, a very, very close fight. But I just don’t think he’ll say yes. I just don’t think. Maybe Belal (Muhammad) is there and they make Belal vs. Khamzat. I said I’ll be ready for a rematch, so we’ll see. I want big fights, that’s what I’m looking for next. But I don’t think Colby will fight Khamzat.”

Burns believes Covington is selective in picking his fights and chooses his opponents based on his winnability. He said, “Because lately, he’s just getting the fights against guys that are coming off a loss and he picks and chooses.”

‘Durinho‘ added, “I just don’t think he will do it. I don’t know. It’s a feeling that I have. He’s not taking this fight.”

Read More: The Early Career of Khamzat Chimaev Before UFC and MMA

The fight will be interesting to see, as both Chimaev and Covington are talented grapplers with a wrestling background. ‘Chaos‘ is the top-ranked welterweight inside UFC and has won each of his last eleven fights barring two title fights against Kamaru Usman.

Khamzat Chimaev took inspiration from Conor McGregor

The Chechen fighter is on an epic run inside the UFC and has grown incessantly ever since his arrival. He is unbeaten in MMA (11-0) and in the UFC (5-0) and is backed to be the next big name in the sport.

Many compare him to former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov because of their similar background and fighting styles. However, Khamzat Chimaev made a startling revelation in an interview with famous UFC journalist Brett Okamoto.

‘Borz’ revealed that his inspiration to become an MMA fighter came from Khabib Nurmagomedov’s nemesis, Conor McGregor.

‘The Notorious’ made the sport a money-making machine and made it popular around the world. This impressed Chimaev too, and he thought he could make it in the sport as well. He was formerly into Sambo and Wrestling, but had quit fighting due to personal reasons.

WATCH THIS STORY: Five Potential Opponents for Khamzat Chimaev After A Hard Fought Win Over Gilbert Burns at UFC 273

Who would you back in the proposed fight between Colby Covington and Khamzat Chimaev? Let us know in the comments section.