Daniel Cormier explains why Colby Covington has to fight Ian Machado Garry to keep his ‘Villain’ role

UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier thinks Colby Covington is fighting for relevancy amidst his ongoing feud with Ian Machado Garry.

Covington lost to UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards by unanimous decision at UFC 296 in December. The loss was his third in a UFC title fight, after two losses to Kamaru Usman.

Covington is in a peculiar position in the UFC welterweight title picture. After moving to 0-3 in lineal UFC title fights, his chances at earning UFC gold are dwindling.

As Covington ponders his next move, he’s found a new adversary in the UFC unbeaten Garry. Like Covington, Garry has turned into a heel in some UFC fans’ eyes amidst some controversies outside of the Octagon.

Things have ramped up between Covington and Garry in recent weeks, and a potential fight between them remains a viable option. Cormier thinks to stay in the mix, Covington has no choice but to accept Garry’s callouts.

Daniel Cormier on why Colby Covington “has to” fight Ian Machado Garry next

In a recent YouTube segment, Cormier explained why Covington now has to accept the Garry fight to retain his pay-per-view viability.

“What does Colby Covington fight for today? What motivates him? It seems to be the big fights,” Cormier said of Covington. “Competitively, you got to beat the guy that wants to be the up-and-comer, because regardless of what you think of Ian Garry…he can fight. After the Leon Edwards fight, he might not be looking forward to facing another long, rangy striker. But, the actions say ‘Let’s fight’, now it’s time to put pen to paper…

“When he spoke about Kamaru Usman, he fought him. When he talked about Leon Edwards, he fought him…if you’re going to take this role, or play the villain in everybody’s story, the villain always has to get his ‘comeuppance’, when he has to stand in front of the sword and fight…he’s gotta stand behind his words. Colby’s gotta stand up on his words now, and if he beats him, he’ll still continue to think he’s in the championship picture.”

Covington’s last win came against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272. He’s lost two of his last three fights, including the UFC 296 defeat to Edwards.

Garry has surged up the welterweight ladder with recent victories against the likes of Geoff Neal and Neil Magny. The former Cage Warriors titleholder is undefeated in his career, although Covington would give him by far his toughest opposition.

If Covington still wants to vie for a title shot, a win over Garry could keep him in the conversation. As tensions increase between the two sides, Cormier encourages Covington to cash in.