Covington: 'I'm the reason' Khabib didn't fight at welterweight

Though Khabib Nurmagomedov will go down as one of the greatest fighters of all time, he never attempted to capture a UFC championship in a second division.

Colby Covington has a theory about why Nurmagomedov competed only in the lightweight division his entire career instead of moving up to welterweight.

"I think I'm the man and I'm the reason that he doesn't come up to 170 (pounds) in the first place," Covington told Submission Radio on Wednesday. "There's a reason Khabib cuts all that weight. ... He wants to beat up little midgets.

"OK, that's cool, Khabib, you beat up a bunch of little guys, a bunch of little midgets. But you're not gonna fight in a real man's weight class like 170 and welterweight because you know I'm the man. You know who's here, you know you have no chance to keep that undefeated record."

Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from mixed martial arts after retaining the 155-pound title against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254.

The 32-year-old was considered big for the lightweight division during his career. He was forced out of an interim title fight against Tony Ferguson in 2017 due to weight management issues.

Nurmagomedov (29-0) defended his belt three times en route to becoming an all-time great.

Covington, a former interim welterweight champion, is coming off a lopsided win over Tyron Woodley in September.