When will Colby Covington fight again in the UFC? Likely timeline and opponents for 'Chaos' after Khamzat Chimaev matchup fell through

Colby Covington has been strangely quiet for almost a year since his rivalry with Jorge Masvidal took a nasty turn, ending in an altercation outside a restaurant in Miami. While he has received callouts from top-ranked contenders, Covington is yet to book a fight.

In his previous outing, Covington put his incredible cardio and high-octane offense on full display as he defeated bitter rival Masvidal at UFC 272 last year. A bout against Khamzat Chimaev was seemingly on the cards, but it ultimately fell through, with 'Borz' claiming that the former interim champion was avoiding him.

Similarly, Belal Muhammad recently slammed Covington for continuing to turn down a fight against him.

With welterweight champion Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman's trilogy bout scheduled for UFC 286 next month, the next challenger for the belt remains unclear.

Colby Covington is currently embroiled in legal issues with Jorge Masvidal, stemming from an alleged assault this past March. It remains to be seen when he will return to action and who he will take on.

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Khamzat Chimaev slams Colby Covington for avoiding him

Khamzat Chimaev is seemingly growing impatient with not having an opponent to face. The Chechen-born Swede has been calling for a fight with Colby Covington for nearly a year, but to no avail. While there have been strong indications of Chimaev's intention to move up to middleweight for good, he recently slammed Covington for avoiding him.

In an interview with Red Corner MMA, the No.3-ranked welterweight was asked about his next outing, to which he answered:

"I have no clue, either. At first, they said it was Colby Covington. We've been waiting for half a year. It looks like he doesn't want it. They all call me out, but as soon as the UFC tries to make the fight, they start running. I think it's going to be the winner of [Kamaru] Usman vs. [Leon] Edwards III, whoever takes it will face me."

Watch the full interview below:

Khamzat Chimaev hasn't fought since his first-round submission win over Kevin Holland at UFC 279. He recently called out Robert Whittaker and is looking to break into the top tier of the middleweight division, likely eyeing the winner of the upcoming Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya championship rematch.