Colby Covington lost his second consecutive fight, being defeated by Joaquin Buckley in the main event of UFC Tampa . After the loss, the former interim welterweight champion (up to 77kg) targeted Gilbert Burns as his next opponent. Legendary former UFC referee John McCarthy believes that would be a terrible fight for the American.
In a recent episode of his podcast 'Weighing-In', McCarthy stated that Colby Covington is no longer at his physical and technical peak. The former UFC referee pointed out that the fighter has lost speed, become less effective in takedowns, and therefore would have difficulties in his future fights. McCarthy suggests that a fight against Gilbert Burns would be especially complicated for Covington, as he would face difficulties taking Burns down and would also be outmatched in power in the stand-up fight.
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“I’ll be as honest as I can. He’s not fast, he’s slowed down. His takedowns aren’t as deep. He doesn’t get to where he used to. All of those things are going to work against him in any fight he’s in. And if he fights Gilbert, does he want to try to take Gilbert down? It’s not an easy position to be in. I’m not saying he can’t get away with it, possibly without getting finished, but he’s definitely putting himself in a hot pot, because it’s hot. Standing up, Gilbert has more power, and I think he has more speed,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy criticizes Chael Sonnen's defense and points out flaws in Colby Covington's performance after loss to Buckley
Colby Covington released a behind-the-scenes conversation with Chael Sonnen on his YouTube channel after the fight with Buckley. The former wrestler tries to console Covington, saying that he did well, even though he accepted the fight at the last minute.
McCarthy criticized Sonnen for defending Covington and claimed that the fighter was not close to winning the fight. The former referee points out that, many times, fighters let their careers "slip" by focusing too much on marketing and talking, without improving technically. He suggests that the former interim champion has not evolved and that his performance in the fight reflected this lack of focus on training and skills.
“ Chael Sonnen can say whatever he wants. Covington wasn’t close to winning that fight. He was getting beaten. The fight would simply have continued in the direction it was going. You have to be honest. There was a difference that happened with Colby, that sometimes guys let their careers slip while they’re doing all that talk and rhetoric, and that’s great, but he’s not fighting,” concluded John McCarthy.
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