Colby Covington Calls Khamzat Chimaev a Quitter and a Steroid Abuser: “He’s not that good.”
Colby Covington has taken aim at rising UFC star Khamzat Chimaev, calling him a “quitter” and accusing him of steroid abuse. Covington, who had a challenging year in 2024, made the comments during an interview, questioning Chimaev’s skills and credibility.
Colby Covington Scorches Khamzat Chimaev
“I wanted that fight for a long time. He ran from the fight, he couldn’t make weight, he was just unprofessional,” Covington said, speaking to Submission Radio. “The guy was juiced, and he quit. The guy was freaking retiring to the common cold. I’m not going to be afraid of someone who’s retiring to the common cold.”
Covington’s comments come amid a tough go for the fighter, who has suffered two consecutive losses, including a third-round TKO defeat to Joaquin Buckley at UFC Tampa on December 14, 2024. Despite the setbacks, Colby Covington remained outspoken, as he has often been throughout his UFC career.
While Covington has been struggling in recent bouts, Chimaev has been on a tear. The undefeated middleweight contender made headlines with his dominant first-round submission victory over former UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 308 on October 26, 2024. This win pushed ‘Borz‘ Khamzat Chimaev to the #3 spot in the UFC middleweight rankings and extended his professional record to 14-0.
However, Covington believes Chimaev’s success may be short-lived if he faces the right opponent. “I know I can stop his takedowns and it becomes a striking fight,” Covington stated. ” I don’t know if his cardio can hang for five rounds. We saw in the Gilbert [Burns] fight how Gilbert exposed his cardio. He doesn’t have good cardio. If you can stuff those takedowns in the first or second round, get him to deep waters, he’s not that good of a fighter.”
Covington emphasized that if Chimaev is unable to execute early takedowns, his opponents would have a chance to defeat him. “If he’s able to get you down in that first takedown, in that first minute or two, yeah, then he’s dangerous, because then he can implement his will on you,” Covington continued. “But if you can stuff those first couple of takedowns, he becomes human, and he becomes a very beatable guy.”
Khamzat Chimaev is most likely going to be fighting for a UFC middleweight title in his next bout against the winner of Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland. The welterweight Colby Covington currently has no booked fights.
