Covington wants to become Rakhmonov's rival

Belal Muhammad was expected to be the Kazakhstani's opponent, but the American champion withdrew due to a bone infection in his foot.

"They say Belal is out for six months. I was interested to come out against Shawkat. I like to help the UFC, so I would love to get the call. It seems like management sees the situation differently. They want to make a deal with Usman to put up a fight with Rakhmonov. If anything, I'm ready. The UFC knows they can call me at any time, I'm ready to step into the octagon on a week's notice. I'm ready to fight anybody," Covington told Submission Radio.