UFC 314: Colby Covington accuses Alexander Volkanovski of a cash grab in Diego Lopes fight

Colby Covington has reignited his rivalry with Alexander Volkanovski ahead of his fight for the UFC featherweight title on Sunday, claiming the Australian is “fighting for money now”.

UFC 314: Volkanovski vs Lopes | SUN 13 APRIL | Australia’s Alexander Volkanovski looks to become a two-time World Champion as he takes on Brazil’s Diego Lopes for the vacant Undisputed Featherweight title, in Miami | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports. Main Event on Kayo Sports and Foxtel is the exclusive home of UFC Pay-Per-View.

Volkanovski is coming off two-straight losses, admitting at Thursday’s media day that he has “never been in this position before”.

But that all plays into the 37-year-old’s hands, with Volkanovski embracing his doubters ahead of his fight against Diego Lopes and it looks like he can add Covington to that list — although it’s far from the first time the American has taken aim at the former featherweight champ.

Covington first called out Volkanovski back in 2021 after he was selected to host The Ultimate Fighter, claiming UFC executives would be “smacking themselves in the head” for signing someone who “doesn’t sell” and would “make a complete mockery of the show”.

He took another swipe at Volkanovski after his first loss to Islam Makhachev and now, as the Australian looks to reclaim the throne in the 145-pound division, his old foe has taken the opportunity to renew hostilities.

“It’s clear that Volkanovski is just fighting for money now,” Covington told foxsports.com.au.

“He only cared about money in the Makhachev fight. He only cared about money in the next fight, and this is just a money grab for him.

“I think he’s done. He’s washed up. He had a good career, but he’s still going to be riding the short bus the rest of his life so that’s probably why he’s so mad at the world.”

So, if Volkanovski is already “done” and “washed up” does that mean he should consider retiring on the spot if he loses against Lopes on Sunday?

Well, Volkanovski admitted on The Ariel Helwani Show in March that he contemplated the idea of retirement before agreeing to the Lopes fight and another loss would certainly force the Australian to confront that possibility again.

But if Volkanovski is knocked out for a third fight in a row, should he just retire then and there in the middle of the octagon?

Covington said the answer to that question will “depend on how he looks”, although he was more emphatic in declaring he will “take that emo haircut-looking kid Lopes” when asked who will win Sunday’s main event.

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“We’ll see what Volk we get this Saturday,” Covington added.

“If he looks like s*** and just quits out there then he probably should. He shouldn’t be in there anymore.

“But we’ll see how he looks Saturday night. I don’t think he’s going to want to walk away too quick, especially now that he just had his fourth daughter.

“He’s going to definitely be trying to get that boy so he’s probably going to be having more kids, so he’s got some big bills to pay and mouths to feed. I think he’s going to stay around a little bit too late like a lot of these fighters do and I think it’s going to be his downfall.”

Obviously Volkanovski sees it very differently. He still thinks he has plenty left to give in the sport and “something to prove” too, not to himself but to the rest of the world.

Volkanovski has already proven he is taking this opportunity seriously with the work he has put in during training camp, starting with the fact he has given up alcohol and not had a single cheat meal in the 16 weeks since he began preparing for Lopes.

But again, Covington just isn’t convinced.

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“I don’t think he’s fighting for the right things anymore,” he said.

“He’s got some title defences but he’s in a little kid’s weight class. He’s not in a real man’s weight class.

“He did some good things but I think he’s seeing the end and he’s just trying to grab money now. He’s not trying to fight for legacy. He’s strictly fighting for money.

“The way he jumped back into camp and wanted to fight Topuria right away, like a couple of months later, just shows that he’s not taking this serious anymore.”