Colby Covington Thinks Robbie Lawler, Not Ben Askren Is Most Worthy Title Contender

Colby Covington is a confident fighter, and when he speaks, he usually gets attention. He got exactly that when talking about former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler and Ben Askren. 

Covington stated in a recent interview with MMA Junkie that he thinks Lawler, not Askren, is the more worthy title contender. This is of course not including himself in the equation:

“I’m excited to get back into action. Uncle Dana came calling, he wanted me to defend my title against the most worthy contender in the division – Robbie Lawler, coming off a dominant win over Ben Askren, you know?

“I have to take the challenge. I couldn’t turn that down. It’s time to fight. I’m not going to fake injuries, make excuses and keep dragging this out, man. I came to make this division great again, and that’s what I’m gonna do on August 3rd.”

Askren has already picked up a win over Lawler in his promotional debut. Now, he’s slated to fight Jorge Masvidal at UFC 239. Covington, a former interim champion, will face Lawler in the headliner of UFC Newark. The show is set to take place on August 3, 2019, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey and air on ESPN. 

UFC President Dana White had already agreed that Covington would get the next shot at welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. However, with Usman on the sidelines, the promotion booked Covington against Lawler.