"He can be hard to deal with" Colby Covington mentions hearing about Khamzat Chimaev

Colby Covington has revealed that the reviews about working with Khamzat Chimaev behind the scenes aren’t that great.

Colby Covington Claims Khamzat Chimaev Hard to Work With

Colby Covington is set to have his cruiserweight crossover championship-defending fight against Belal Muhammad in the main event of RAF 13 on September 18, 2026, at the Watsco Center in Miami. 

The tension between Chimaev and Covington has been persistent for a long time. However, it's become the centre of attention since Chimaev, in the pre-fight press conference, revealed his possible bout against Covington.

“It’s tough to say what the dealings are going on with him and Hunter Campbell behind Closed doors. He can be troublesome to work with,” Colby Covington said in an interview with Helen Yee. He went even further to call him a “quitter” and revealed “He is hard to deal with, is what I have heard from some of the people at UFC brass”.

 

Chimaev lost his UFC middleweight title to Sean Strickland via split decision at UFC 328 on May 9. Since then, Chimaev has actively campaigned for a rematch with Strickland or to face top contender Nassourdine Imavov. However, UFC matchmakers’ decision about granting them remain unconfirmed.

Covington, too, remains neutral about the Russian’s accidental claim regarding the possible fight between them.

Colby Covington Doesn't Want to Look Too Far Ahead

Khamzat has caused significant speculation with his accidental claim of fighting Colby Covington in Abu Dhabi.

“I think we're going to wrestle in Abu Dhabi. Maybe I announced that too early, sorry guys," Chimaev said in the pre-fight Press conference.

However, "Chaos"’ response to this isn’t a confirmation, but more of a condition. He simply mentioned that he will not be fighting in his weight.

“I am not going to go up to 200 lbs, so unless he wants to come out down to 185 lbs”, he said.

He did mention that this concern isn't what’s on top of his priority list.

“I've got to get through Belal tomorrow," Covington said. "I’m not looking too far ahead. You know, when you start looking too far ahead, you forget about what’s ahead of you.”

It's clear that the American fighter is understandably more concerned about defending the Cruiserweight Crossover Champion title than the distant fight possibility with Khamzat Chimaev. However, it'll be interesting to see if his opinion changes at all after his bout with Belal Muhammad tonight.