Covington wants middleweight title shot vs. 'cardio kickboxer' Adesanya

Colby Covington is hoping for a chance to win UFC gold in a new division.

The No. 1-ranked welterweight, who has lost twice to welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and is therefore out of title contention for the immediate future, said earlier this week he wants to square off with middleweight champ Israel Adesanya.

"Why can't I fight Adesanya? ... I'll pick him up and drop him on his f------ head," Covington told Submission Radio. "He's a cardio kickboxer.

"He's not that good of a fighter. He's not well-rounded. He can't stop my American wrestling. I'll melt that guy. He'll 100% melt under my pressure and my pace."

Covington is coming off a dominant win over Jorge Masvidal in a UFC 272 grudge match earlier in March, cementing his spot as the top welterweight underneath Usman. However, it's unlikely he'll receive a third title shot anytime soon with Leon Edwards expected to challenge Usman this summer and Vicente Luque, Belal Muhammad, and Khamzat Chimaev all on the rise.

Usman has said a trilogy bout with Covington could happen in the future, but Covington seems to think his quickest path to another shot at UFC gold is likely at 185 pounds.

With that said, it wouldn't be a permanent move.

"I want to give the fans the biggest and best fights possible," Covington said. "I don't cut any weight to go to 170, so I'm not going to be going up to 185 and make it a full-time home. But I'm waiting for the big fights to present themselves. And the two biggest fights in my mind, go beat up Adesanya ... or fight Dustin (Poirier)."

Covington called out former teammate Poirier after beating Masvidal, but Poirier shut down the potential matchup.

Adesanya, who's held the UFC middleweight belt since 2019, defeated Robert Whittaker in his latest title defense in February and is expected to fight Jared Cannonier this summer.