After pursuing the matchup for practically one 12 months with no success, Ian Machado Garry was as shocked as anybody to see Colby Covington take his place towards Joaquin Buckley at UFC on ESPN 63.
Machado Garry (15-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) was initially hoping to combat Covington (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) within the Dec. 14 foremost occasion in Tampa, Fla., however was as an alternative paired with Buckley. However then welterweight champion Belal Muhammad fell out of Saturday’s UFC 310 in Las Vegas, leading to Machado Garry being shifted right into a co-main occasion showdown with fellow unbeaten contender Shavkat Rakhmonov on Saturday at T-Cell Area in Las Vegas.
The shuffle then noticed Covington emerge for the primary time since his third failed title shot towards then-champ Leon Edwards at UFC 296 in December 2023, taking the short-notice headliner with Buckley.
“I used to be seething,” Machado Garry stated Monday on “The Ariel Helwani Present.” “How do you assume I really feel? As a result of I’ve been screaming and shouting about combating that man from the rafters. This man’s made movies about me, my spouse, my children – speaking about all this sh*t. And right here’s this man avoiding me just like the plague, after which the second I e book in towards the scariest man within the division, he’s like, ‘Oh, I’ll combat in Florida.’
“It simply proves, it simply reveals that he’s a coward, that he needs nothing to do with me. The reality is I already know I’ve crushed him. I do know I’ve already mentally crushed him. He’s weak. He’s an absolute coward, and I imagine he’s going to go on the market and get completely steamrolled by Joaquin Buckley. I believe Buckley starches him.”
Machado Garry vs. Covington a misplaced trigger?
UFC CEO Dana White has dubbed Machado Garry vs. Rakhmonov as a title eliminator at 170 kilos. The winner will face Muhammad in his first title protection in 2025, and if Machado Garry is the one to come back out with the belt, he admits a reserving with Covington may be out the window for good.
“I perceive the kind of particular person Colby Covington is,” Machado Garry stated. “He’s somebody who’s making an attempt to remain related by calling out the folks which are producing traction. Myself, Shavkat, Belal Muhammad – even Charles (Oliveira) at one level. He was saying he needed to combat Charles. These are all to maintain relevance to his title as a result of his inventory is plummeting so low as a result of nobody cares about him anymore.
“I need that combat due to how a lot trash he talked, however I’m nicely conscious after I beat Shavkat on Saturday evening, it’s me being booked towards Belal Muhammad for the world title in 2025. I’m going to go on the market and win that world title, and Colby Covington is much, far, far within the rear-view mirror.”
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