Colby Covington plans return at UFC 303, opponent to be determined

Welterweight Colby Covington is planning to get back in the octagon this June 29 at UFC 303, but he's not convinced that Ian Machado Garry deserves to be the opponent.

Covington (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) is on the comeback after losing by unanimous decision to welterweight champion Leon Edwards at UFC 296 in December in London. The California native, 36, has heard a lot of talk from Ireland's Garry (14-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC), and seemed agreeable to a future fight if Garry met certain stipulations.

However, an opportunity to build momentum was missed when Garry, 26, did not show up for a UFC 296 pre-fight press conference, and later withdrew from his bout that week against Vicente Luque because of pneumonia. That didn't sit right with Covington.

"There's this kid that's been calling me out," Covington said on the "Twins Pod" podcast. "This kid, Ian Garry, he's a nobody. I gave him some stipulations and said, ‘Hey man, if you want to fight me, you have to show me you're serious about business,' because when I do business, I'm serious about it. I show up to every fight. I've never pulled out of one fight. I've been injured, I've been sick, but I always show up and do my business because I love the UFC as the greatest organization in the world.

"So he has to show me he's serious. He was supposed to be on my last event in the press conference. He pulls out the day of the press conference because he knew I was going to be on stage, and we're going to have some beef. So that shows me that he's not serious."

Covington said he's definitely fighting this summer against an opponent to be determined.

"They're trying to figure out who the biggest name and the best business that we can do for the UFC," Covington said on the podcast. "International Fight Week is like their big event in the summer that the UFC does."

Garry, who tried to get Covington's attention after beating Geoff Neal by split decision on Feb. 17 at UFC 298, wants to be that guy. Covington said the summer fight is a means to an end: a rematch with Edwards.

"I've got unfinished business with my last fight, Leon Edwards, the guy that has the title right now," Covington said on the podcast. "I broke my foot in the first 5 seconds of the fight. I threw a kick. It broke in three different places. So that wasn't me that night. So whoever I have to go through to get that fight (is what I want)."