Former UFC welterweight title challenger Colby Covington is preparing to be an alternate for the UFC 261 main event — and more in Friday's Fightful Fix.
Colby Covington training to be an alternate for UFC 261
Former UFC interim welterweight champion Colby Covington is preparing as if he will be filling in for either current UFC welterweight king Kamaru Usman or challenge Jorge Masvidal in their main event rematch at UFC 261 on April 24. Covington spoke with The Schmo about his mindset and how he plans to be in attendance for the matchup.
“I’m going to evaluate things when that fight happens,” Covington said (h/t MMAJunkie). “Everybody knows: The UFC hasn’t told me, but I think it’s pretty self-explanatory that I’m the backup guy. If anything happens, anybody gets COVID, anybody gets cold feet and pulls out of that fight, I’m showing up. That’s right down the road from me. We’re in Miami, Fla., right now. That’s a three-and-a-half-hour, four-hour ride. I’ll take a bus over to Jacksonville, and I’ll be showing up for the fight. I’ll be there. So if anybody pulls out, I’ll be stepping in and we’ll evaluate from there. I just want to put on good fights and capitalize on the prime of my career, which is what I’m in. So we’ll see what happens in a couple of weeks.”
Jon Jones expects Dana White to meet financial demands for Francis Ngannou fight
After new UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou knocked out Stipe Miocic in their rematch at UFC 260, the immediate attention shifted to a potential first title defense against former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. However, Jones and UFC President Dana White have gone back and forth in the media and on Twitter seemingly halting any progress towards the super fight. Jones recently spoke with entertainer Steve-O on his podcast Steve-O's Wild Ride about how he believes the promotion will eventually meet his terms for the Ngannou matchup.
“The UFC will go on whether I fight or not,” Jones said (h/t MMAJunkie). “I’ve got nothing to lose being in the position that I’m in right now. I don’t want to fight soon. I have no interest in fighting in the UFC until I get paid what I believe I’m worth. … I think it’s really powerful to stand up for what you believe is right, and I think eventually the UFC will realize that they’re being stubborn, they’ll realize that they do have a special athlete in myself and I think they’ll eventually meet me halfway.”
Scott Coker doesn't want to create a Bellator super spreader event
Bellator President Scott Coker isn't planning on running events in front of live crowds anytime soon, regardless of promotions like the UFC's decision to do so starting at UFC 261 on April 24. Speaking with MMAJunkie ahead of Bellator 255, Coker spoke on the decision to remain patient before returning to bringing full crowds back.
“There’s light at the end of the tunnel now,” Coker said. “We’re going to take a beat and see how things open up, not just in those two states or three states or five states that have opened up, but we’re going to wait to see how it opens up across the country. I think that because there is light at the end of the tunnel here and we see it, I want to make sure that we don’t just respond and do something that creates some super-spreader event. When it’s safe, we’ll go. This is a big company. There is a COVID task force that we adhere to. We’ll see what they say. We’ve already inquired about doing fights outside the ‘Sphere. They are looking into and making sure we’re heading in the right direction. Upon their guidance, we’ll decide what they do.”
UFC bantamweight prospect Adrian Yanez believes he's just getting started
UFC bantamweight prospect Adrian Yanez has become one of the most exciting young fighters in the sport today, going 3-0 in his early Octagon run and finishing all of his opponents via knockout with his latest victory coming over Gustavo Lopez at UFC Vegas 22. Yanez spoke with MMAJunkie Radio and talked about this being only the beginning for him after quitting his day job to now focus on fighting full time.
“I’ve been doing MMA as a part time for a great part of my career,” Yanez said. “This is my first training camp of me actually doing MMA full time, so I know I still have a lot to learn. This is not even me at my full peak yet. I don’t feel like I’m anywhere close to peaking. So I want to give myself the time and the room to improve and just with the amount of improvement that I had in this last fight compared to the fights before, I can see the levels that I’ve gotten better. So for myself, I’d like to give myself a little bit of time to get the hang of things."
Reggie Adams wants fight with Pat Sabatini in UFC
CFFC featherweight Reggie Adams will look to move his current winning streak to three when he takes on Jesse Stirn at tonight's CFFC 95 event. Adams was hoping to secure an eventual shot at former CFFC featherweight champion Pat Sabatini's belt, but now with Sabatini in the UFC those plans were altered. However, speaking with MMAJunkie Adams believes there is a chance he still can get the fight with Sabatini, just not in the CFFC cage.
“That was one fight that I had looked at, and I was like, ‘That would be a fight-of-the-night fight if me and him ever fought," Adams said. “I was actually looking forward to that, thinking maybe me and him could go at it. That would be lovely, two former CFFC champions tangling in the UFC. That would be great for the organization and the UFC.”
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