Colby Covington Targets Future Matchups Against Belal Muhammad, Charles Oliveira

Colby Covington is frequently shifting focus when it comes to deciding his next potential opponent.

Covington is seemingly not interested in a fight against welterweight up-and-comer Ian Garry, who has been calling “Chaos” out for a considerable amount of time now. The former interim champ has instead called out Belal Muhammad, who is expected to be next in line for a 170-pound title shot.

Covington argued against Muhammad’s case for a title shot, citing “Remember the Name’s” inactivity since a lopsided decision win over Gilbert Burns in May 2023.

“I would like [to fight] Belal; he's talked a lot of smack…He’s out there saying that I only got my title shot cause of [Dana] White privilege… Now he's squatting on his ranking, guys; he should have to come out and fight,” Covington recently told Submission Radio. “I think we should fight; I think that’s the fight that should be next. He doesn’t deserve a title fight, guys. How long’s he sat out? He sat out for over a year. He’s squatting on his rankings, that’s not right."

Meanwhile, Charles Oliveira has admittedly been contemplating a move up to welterweight after his unanimous decision loss against lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300 last month. Covington is also willing to welcome the former lightweight champ to the welterweight division.

“I want legacy fights. I think a guy like Charles Oliveira makes sense. He was out there saying the other day that he wants to come up to welterweight. I’m the king of Brazil, man. Everybody knows I run that f—-ing country. ll the women love me, all the men of Brazil want to be like me. So, Charles Oliveira, you want this fight? You want to really come up to welterweight? Let's see if you're about it or if you're just talking."

The chances of Covington fighting Muhammad appear unlikely, as “Remember the Name” is currently undefeated in 10 UFC outings since 2019 and is insistent on fighting for the title next. Meanwhile, Covington is 2-3 in his last five, which includes three failed gold bids.