Disaffected by Askren, Covington believes that his rival could lose his job in a defeat to Demian Maia

C. Covington (photo) provokes B. Askren again Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @colbycovmma

The former interim lightweight champion (up to 70,3kg.), Colby covington, mentioned Ben Askren's name again in an interview. Publicly disliked by the North American, the loudmouth stated that Ben's defeat to Jorge masvidal, at the beginning of July, put a question mark on his rival's career. For Colby, if a fight against Demian Maia, and the North American is defeated again, it could cost the athlete his job. The statements were made in a recent interview with 'Sirius XM'.

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“We found out (after the loss to Masvidal) that he is overrated. He fought a bunch of losers in Asian bingo halls. People want to think he's this Great White Shark, but he really is a simple worker and shouldn't be in the UFC. He will soon be unemployed,” declared Colby.

After the lightning defeat, Ultimate has been moving to schedule a fight between Askren and the Brazilian Demian Maia. Known for being a great wrestler, Ben may have the chance to redeem himself with the public and UFC management after his catastrophic performance in the UFC 239. For Covington, however, Maia has the necessary characteristics to deal a new setback to his old rival.

“He can’t win. Demian Maia nowhere. Demian will choke him if he tries to take the fight down. If he wants to fight standing up, he's going to do badly, because he has fists like pillows and he's afraid of throwing punches. So, I think Maia will make mincemeat of him”, commented the former interim champion.

The duel between Ben and the Brazilian, however, has not yet been made official by the UFC. The indications, however, are that the fight will be scheduled after Askren receives medical clearance to return to training.

Currently, Covington is ranked second in the welterweight division (up to 77kg.). The athlete has a fight confirmed for this weekend, at UFC Newark, against also former champion, Robbie Lawler. The fighters will perform in the main fight and the winner may have the chance to challenge the champion, Kamaru Usman, when the athlete recovers from surgery to correct two herniated discs.