LONDON – Colby Covington thinks a fight with Conor McGregor would be the highest selling pay-per-view in UFC history.
With McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) projected to return at 170 pounds against Michael Chandler later this year, his name could be linked to the title picture with a win.
McGregor is undeniably the sport’s biggest draw and Covington (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) thinks he’d be the perfect dance partner, numbers wise.
“Conor’s done some great things in this sport,” Covington said backstage during UFC 286. “He’s a great fighter, but his time is passing. He’s made a lot of money, so he just doesn’t have that same hunger and same drive he used to when he first started fighting. Who knows if he’s coming back to fight any time soon. He still has to get the USADA pool and do all the stuff that goes along with that.
“If Conor wants to fight one day and do business, it’s probably the biggest fight the UFC would ever do, as you see with the numbers this weekend that I’ve drawn to this event.”
After Covington weighed in as a backup for Leon Edwards’ title defense against Kamaru Usman in Saturday’s UFC 286 headliner at The O2 in London, UFC president Dana White said he is next in line for welterweight champion Edwards. The title is what Covington currently is focused on, but he’d be open to a McGregor fight down the line.
“If they want to sit down at the table and they think that’s the biggest and best fight we can do, then let’s do it,” Covington said. “But I’m here to fight the biggest and best fights in this company.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 286.
