But as fans and fighters wonder what’s next for a division now in title contention, some truly bold predictions are being made – including from the King of ‘Chaos’ himself, Colby Covington.

Colby Covington ‘goes wild’ on Belal Muhammad after title win

In an interview with Submission Radio, it took less than a minute for former UFC interim welterweight champion Colby Covington to launch yet another blistering verbal attack on the newly crowned king of the 170lb division.

“I feel sorry for the fans, man, they were robbed of some entertainment and the fight at the highest level by two losers, so I feel sorry for the fans,” he said during the main event of UFC 304, before directly criticizing ‘Remember the Name’.

“That guy is a fucking dick; the only time he ever wanted to fight me was when I already had a title fight signed, sealed and delivered – other than that he never mentioned my name because he knows he’s a little bitch and he knows what I would do to him.

“He’s a**hole and if I face him, he’s not a champion anymore, he’s not a man anymore (because) I’ll take his man card… I’d love to fight him; I hope that fight happens. I’ll do everything I can to make that happen.”

Covington argued that a fight between him and the newly crowned UFC champion would resemble Muhammad’s first fight against Vicente Luque in 2016, a bout in which the Brazilian fan favorite suffered a brutal knockout just 79 seconds into the first round.

“He’s not going to take me down; he’s not going to take his wrestling game to me. His punches are worthless – he couldn’t even finish Gilbert Burns when Gilbert was down by one arm, so what’s he going to do to me?”

The controversial former interim titleholder subsequently accused Muhammad of using PEDs, as he predicted his championship reign would be short-lived: “I think it’s a one-time thing, he’s obviously on the right steroids right now, he’s on the right cycles.”

“He had a one night stand, a lightning-in-a-bottle type of guy, and now he’s the so-called ‘paper champion’, but nobody cares, he’s not attracting flies to catch shit… It’s not like he’s going to make any money and he’s going to do what he’s told.”

According to the UFC’s anti-doping database, “Remember the Name” has been tested three times so far in 2024 (the same number of times as Covington) and has returned positive results each time.

Ironically, it didn’t take long for Belal Muhammad himself to respond to the call-out, posting a series of laughing emojis and “0-3” on the X, referencing Covington’s three undisputed title losses.

Covington claims he will fight Shavkat Rakhmonov (18-0) for the title in 2025

‘Chaos’ hasn’t fought in the UFC since losing a unanimous decision to Edwards in December 2023, but Covington is hoping to return to the octagon for a world title fight before the end of 2025.

Interestingly, the brawny American believes that Muhammad’s title run will be short-lived and that he will have to wrest the welterweight title from undefeated star Shavkat Rakhmonov before he can compete in title contention again.

“I think he (Muhammad) will be done and I will fight that shitrat (Shavkat) for the title before the end of next year… I’m going to get back in there and with whoever it is, that’s the biggest and best business I can do for the UFC and for the fans.

“I’m going to call the UFC again, see what I have to do to get that title back and I’m going to be champion. The people know it, I know it, it’s my destiny.”

When asked what he actually thought of Rakhmonov as a competitor, Covington dismissed the notion that the 18-0 “Nomad” is one of the most dangerous fighters in the division; let alone that he deserves a title shot.

“I don’t think he’s anything special, I think the way he fights – he fights very long, with his chin up in the air… And he fought Wonderboy last time, I don’t know how that justifies the title fight, but I don’t know.

“He’s won a lot of fights that no one else has won, but he hasn’t fought any top contenders yet… There are a lot of unknowns, but I know I have the skills to beat anyone in the world.”

According to today’s official update, as of July 30, Covington is the fifth-best welterweight in the world – one spot below undefeated Rakhmonov at number three.

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