Manager explains what it will take for Colby Covington to accept Darren Till fight
BJPenn.com’s Chris Taylor broke the news earlier this week that UFC officials are looking to book Colby Covington against Darren Till at UFC London on March 17.
However Covington’s manager and American Top Team owner Dan Lambert told Fightful that the only way that fight would happen is if gold is on the line. In addition, he’d rather see Covington fight the winner of the upcoming UFC 235 title fight between champ Tyron Woodley and challenger Kamaru Usman.
“Colby doesn’t want to fight Darren Till,” Lambert explained. “Unless he’s fighting him for a title or defending his title against Till. Or if he got his title shot and something didn’t go his way, yeah then you work your way back up there, if Till’s the guy you have to fight to get there. I mean Colby was willing to fight anybody to fight up to his title shot. He was willing to go to Brazil and fight [Rafael dos Anjos] in Brazil amongst death threats and what not. He went to fight Demian Maia down there for not big money. He thought he paid his dues to get what he deserved and when he got there it got snatched away. Personally I thought he got a bum deal. But it is what it is, but these things always have a way of working themselves out.”
“I don’t think [fighting in] London has anything to do with it, like I said he was willing to go to Brazil to fight RDA,” Lambert continued. “That fight didn’t happen because the UFC was concerned for his security.
“He fought his way up to a title fight, he wants his title fight. I don’t blame him one bit. I think [fighting the winner of Woodley/Usman] is the best case scenario.”
Colby Covington (14-1) is currently without an opponent after the UFC booked the welterweight title fight on March 2 with champion Tyron Woodley facing Kamaru Usman. The American Top Team product is currently riding a six-fight win streak, including a unanimous decision win over Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC 225 where he captured the interim welterweight title.
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 1/11/2019.