Michael Bisping believes that Colby Covington’s chances of winning a title may not be completely gone. Covington, 35, suffered a disappointing loss to welterweight champion Leon Edwards at UFC 296 in December. Despite this, Bisping thinks that Covington could potentially face undefeated fighter Shavkat Rakhmonov in his next fight, which could have implications for a title shot. While Bisping doesn’t necessarily agree with this possibility, he acknowledges that if Covington were to defeat Rakhmonov, it could spark a discussion about his title aspirations. However, Bisping expresses doubt that Covington would be able to defeat Rakhmonov and questions whether Covington still has the same drive and determination as before.
After his loss to Edwards, Covington expressed disinterest in facing Rakhmonov next during the UFC 296 post-fight news conference. Instead, Covington shifted his focus to Stephen Thompson, who had been submitted by Rakhmonov at UFC 296.