Michael Bisping Outlines Scenario Where Colby Covington May Put Himself In Conversation For A Fourth Title Shot: 'To Be The Man, You Gotta Beat The Man!'

Former UFC Middleweight Champion Michael Bisping has weighed in on the recent Colby Covington vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov rumors. 

Back at UFC 296, Covington put in a lacklustre performance in his third attempt at becoming UFC Welterweight Champion. Ultimately, "Chaos" lost to 170lbs kingpin Leon Edwards via unanimous decision. 

On the same show, the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov picked up a second-round submission win over welterweight stalwart Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson. 

Now, with Rakhmonov seemingly just one more victory away from getting a shot at the title, rumblings of a surprising match-up with "Chaos" have begun bubbling to the surface.  

"You're Back In The Discussion" - Michael Bisping On Colby Covington

During a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, "The Count" opined that this fight could present a major chance for Covington. Should he get the better of Rakhmonov, his hat could be thrown back into the title challenger discussion.

"If they were to make this fight, there's a big opportunity there," Bisping said. "Now listen, Colby has had his title shots okay, and I don't think he's gonna get another one. But this will blow your mind, if he beats Shavkat Rakhmonov, I'm not saying he gets a title fight, but if he beats Shavkat Rakhmonov, there's an argument there. I'm not saying I agree with it but it if he was to beat Shavkat Rakhmonov, guess what? All of a sudden, you're back in the discussion, baby, right? He would be, if you want to become the man, you gotta beat the man."

However, Bisping deemed the chances of Covington getting the better of "Nomad" unlikely, questioning if "Chaos" still has the intensity a fight needs to succeed at the top. 

"But would he beat Shavkat? I very much doubt it," Bisping said. "Now here's the real question for Colby Covington, if this fight takes place, does he still have it? Does the fire still burn?"