Daniel Cormier on why Colby Covington “has to” fight Ian Machado Garry next
In a recent YouTube segment, Cormier explained why Covington now has to accept the Garry fight to retain his pay-per-view viability.
“What does Colby Covington fight for today? What motivates him? It seems to be the big fights,” Cormier said of Covington. “Competitively, you got to beat the guy that wants to be the up-and-comer, because regardless of what you think of Ian Garry…he can fight. After the Leon Edwards fight, he might not be looking forward to facing another long, rangy striker. But, the actions say ‘Let’s fight’, now it’s time to put pen to paper…
“When he spoke about Kamaru Usman, he fought him. When he talked about Leon Edwards, he fought him…if you’re going to take this role, or play the villain in everybody’s story, the villain always has to get his ‘comeuppance’, when he has to stand in front of the sword and fight…he’s gotta stand behind his words. Colby’s gotta stand up on his words now, and if he beats him, he’ll still continue to think he’s in the championship picture.”
Covington’s last win came against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272. He’s lost two of his last three fights, including the UFC 296 defeat to Edwards.
Garry has surged up the welterweight ladder with recent victories against the likes of Geoff Neal and Neil Magny. The former Cage Warriors titleholder is undefeated in his career, although Covington would give him by far his toughest opposition.
If Covington still wants to vie for a title shot, a win over Garry could keep him in the conversation. As tensions increase between the two sides, Cormier encourages Covington to cash in.
