Rafael Dos Anjos, who takes on Tarec Saffiedine in his welterweight debut. In fact, given the back and forth between the two, it might have seemed like Covington was fighting the Brazilian star and not Kim.
“Honestly, I heard an interview with him and I didn’t like his attitude coming up to 170,” Covington said. “He’s never fought in this weight class in the UFC, and he’s acting entitled and thinks just because he was a former champion he’s gonna come up here and jump to the front of the line. That doesn’t fly with me. I’m trying to work my way to a title shot and I wasn’t okay with that. He lost two fights in a row and maybe they were top fights at 155, but he’s not just gonna come up and fight the top guys at 170. He should have to have a test before that and I wanted to be that test.”
And just like that, Covington may have smoothly made a fight should the two win in June.
“I think our paths are going to cross where he has no choice but to take the fight with me,” said Covington, who isn’t shy about where he thinks he stands in the division and where he’s going to be sooner rather than later.
“There are a lot of guys in the UFC that say they’ll fight anybody, but when the UFC offers them that fight, they don’t take it,” he said. “They’re telling the media one thing, but when the UFC comes to them, it’s another thing. I’m here looking for any fight and every fight and I think that’s why the UFC gave me this fight. I went to them and said, ‘Hey, I’ll fight anybody in the world.’ I feel like I can beat everybody right now and I feel like I’m the best in the world. Put anybody in front of me and I will show you that I’m a true champion and the future of this division.”
