Colby Covington has insisted that Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov have been 'scared' to fight him ahead of his long-awaited UFC return.

The welterweight is set to return to the octagon in December when he will face Leon Edwards for his division title following a 21-month fighting absence.

He beat Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272 in March 2022 and a reported altercation took place between the former friends in Miami after the fight.

Though Covington claimed to have suffered brain damage in the altercation, he is fit enough to get back into the ring and challenge Edwards in the main event of UFC 296 on December 2016.

One of his potential rivals if he is to win the belt, Makhachev, has spoken about jumping up to the welterweight division in recent times, and Covington has been quick to dismiss any possible competition.

'There's that little mongoloid, he's been talking a little bit, saying that he wants to come up and fight in a real man's division,' Covington told James Lynch. 'He's in a little boy's weight class and I'm talking about Islam Makhachev. 

'He's fighting in a little man's weight class. He's fighting little midgets and he's barely beating midgets. Split decisions, split draws, pathetic.

'That little mongoloid's been talking, he's been saying some things about how he wants to come up to a real man's division and face a real man in America's champ. So, that might present itself as well. 

'I think that's a big superfight and I think that's a fight the fans want to see. We're the same weight class. He probably weighs more than me, honestly. He probably walks around 190. 

'He's pretty yoked up. He's a big-little guy that cuts all that weight to get the advantage cause he's scared to fight real men like me.'

Makhachev has been doing well with the UFC, beating featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 282 to take his record to 24-1.

His only career defeat so far came at the hands of Adriano Martins in October 2015, but Covington insisted he played a helping hand in the Brazilian's victory.

'I trained the guy that knocked him out in the first round,' he said. 'A guy in Adriano Martins, I trained the kid, southpaw to southpaw to get ready for Makhachev because they knew he was a wrestler-southpaw when I was at that gym. I trained Adriano to throw that exact hook and knock him out like that and put him unconscious.

'There are a lot of holes in his game. He's talked a big game. He's tried to ride the coattails of Khabib's [Nurmagomedov] success and what he was able to accomplish and he's not Khabib. It's not the same thing. Khabib was scared of me. He didn't want to come up to welterweight because of me. So, even his daddy knows it's not smart to come up to welterweight.'