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Covington: 'UFC knows I'm on board' for Masvidal fight

Chris Unger / UFC / Getty

Colby Covington offered an update on a potential fight against Jorge Masvidal on Sunday, confirming that negotiations are underway and the bout is nearly a done deal on his side.

UFC president Dana White revealed this past weekend it was "very possible" the promotion was looking to book Covington-Masvidal, moving away from a planned rematch between Masvidal and Nate Diaz.

"The talks have been great," Covington told Submission Radio.

"The terms are pretty much done, we're ready to go," he added. "So, it's all in Street Judas Masvidal's court."

Covington said White asked if he wanted to fight Masvidal immediately after he beat Tyron Woodley at UFC Fight Night on Sept. 19 in Las Vegas.

"I accepted right on that night, in that minute," Covington said. "So, (White) knows I'm on board, the UFC knows I'm on board. Now it's just about getting Street Judas Masvidal on board. That guy's scared ... So, who knows if he'll show up to the Octagon."

Covingon and Masvidal, the No. 1- and 4-ranked welterweights in the UFC, respectively, used to train together at American Top Team in Florida. They were good friends and even lived together for a period of time. But over the past year, the two contenders had a falling out and have since engaged in a heated rivalry.

Covington has angled for a fight against Masvidal several times, most recently after beating Woodley. Masvidal said after losing to Usman in July that he wasn't interested in a matchup against Covington.

Masvidal was expected to face Diaz again in early 2021, but White said the Covington fight made the most sense and that the Diaz rematch will always be available.

However, the former interim champion isn't confident that "Gamebred" will agree to it.

"We know what's gonna happen when we step in the Octagon, but we'll see if he signs a contract someday," Covington said. "Because I don't know, I think his fans are gonna find out his 15 seconds of fame are up and he doesn't want to get exposed, and he's a coward, he's gonna avoid this fight."

Covington vowed to leave Masvidal "in a body bag" and suggested that the contest headlines a December or January pay-per-view card in Miami.

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