Geoff Neal says Colby Covington should be removed from the UFC rankings if he turns down Shavkat Rakhmonov: “He’s like bottlenecking the top of the division”

Geoff Neal has given his thoughts on Colby Covington’s future if he chooses not to fight Shavkat Rakhmonov.

In the final PPV event of 2023, Colby Covington came up short. He failed in his attempt to capture the UFC welterweight championship from Leon Edwards, dropping a convincing decision loss.

Now, many are questioning what’s next for him. ‘Chaos’ has made it clear that he wants to get back in the cage, but he has a lot of work to do if he wants to work his way back to a title shot.

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Some have suggested that it would make sense for him to lock horns with contender Shavkat Rakhmonov. When Geoff Neal was discussing this during a recent interview, he made it clear what he believes should happen to Covington if he doesn’t take the fight.

Neal questions Covington

“Yeah he’s [Rakhmonov] talented, I actually just seen a post, they’re trying to match him up with Colby,” Neal said. “I don’t know if that’s going to play out but I mean s**t yeah, f**k, like, he needs to fight an up-and-comer, if he doesn’t take that fight then get him out of the f***ing UFC. You know like he’s holding up all the f***ing- he’s like bottlenecking the top of the division, so I’m excited to see that happen.”

Quotes via MMA News

There’s no denying that Colby Covington has done some great things throughout his mixed martial arts career. Alas, if he wants to stay relevant, he needs to start taking some calculated risks.

Do you believe we will ever see Shavkat Rakhmonov take on Colby Covington? What do you think would be the result of that contest? Let us know your thoughts, BJPENN Nation!