Dan Lambert believes UFC Newark fight is ‘uber important’ for Colby Covington

When Colby Covington beat Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 225 to win the interim welterweight title, the consensus was he would be fighting for the undisputed title next. Yet, that never happened, and after more than a year off, he will return to take on Robbie Lawler in the main event of UFC Newark.

This is far from a title shot as Lawler is ranked 11th, but Covington’s manager and American Top Team owner Dan Lambert knows this fight is super important for “Chaos” to win.

“Once you get to where Colby is, every fight is uber important to win, but this one is super important for his career,” Lambert told BJPENN.com. “If he wins, he is right there for a title shot. If he loses, he is down a few notches. This is not a very forgiving sport when it comes to wins or losses so this is huge for Colby.”

Should Colby Covington win in Newark, Lambert says the UFC has promised a title shot will follow. But, he knows nothing is guaranteed in this sport but hopes the UFC keeps their word this time around.

“Colby wanted a title shot. I don’t think he cared if it is [Kamaru] Usman, [Tyron Woodley], it didn’t matter. He wanted a title shot before anything,” he explained. “They said if he wins this he is getting a title shot but they have said that before.”

Before they can think about a title shot though, Covington needs to beat Lawler which will be a tough task. Even though he is on a two-fight losing streak, the team at ATT know “Ruthless” is still one of the best in the sport.

Add in the fact that “Chaos” was preparing for a November fight against Usman, now having to fight Lawler in August is going against him. But, according to Lambert, Covington is prepared for anyone at any time.

“The UFC had a big ESPN show and it is not a stacked event and needed a main event. They got desperate so it fell into Colby’s lap,” Lambert said. “It wasn’t ideal this fight, he was expecting to fight in November. But, he is always in shape, it is not going to be a problem.”

Should Covington win here, he should be getting the next title shot according to the UFC. But whether or not he could fight again in November and make that quick of a turnaround is to be seen. However, Dan Lambert is not thinking about that at all, instead, he and Covington are just focused on the fight.

“It depends on how you come out of the fight. You can’t expect to go in a fight with Robbie and expect it to be easy. You expect to take some damage,” he said. “First, he has to win, and then he has to see how he feels.”

In the end, as Lambert says, this is a huge fight for Colby Covington and for his legacy. Should he win this weekend, Covington said he will be the best welterweight ever.

Do you think Colby Covington will get a title shot should he get past Robbie Lawler at UFC Newark?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 8/2/2019.