10th Planet’s Nathan Orchard has just made a big statement by calling out ex-UFC Interim Welterweight World Champion Colby Covington for a grappling match on a Submission Underground card. While it might seem a tad unrealistic, it’s worth noting that Chael Sonnen’s promotion has a habit of convincing experienced and successful MMA fighters to dip their toes into the world of professional grappling. Not just that, but Covington is well-known for his trash talk and it seems likely he might respect someone using similar tactics against him.
The next event in the promotion’s calendar is SUG 21, set for March 28th, and there’s little known about the matches arranged for this card just yet. The only information known so far is that there will be a tag-team Jiu-Jitsu match with one team being made of UFC veteran Ricky Simon and a frequent SUG competitor, John Simon. Despite the fact that SUG is known for booking UFC fighters often, Colby Covington would certainly represent the biggest name they’ve ever managed to sign on if he does take the fight against Nathan Orchard.
While Covington is a phenomenal wrestler and he uses his grappling ability to great success in the octagon, a pure grappling match is an entirely different world. Without strikes and with EBI overtime rules in play, the whole dynamic of the fight changes and it leans significantly more towards Orchard’s favor. As an unconventional 10th Planet grappler, he would represent a unique challenge for Covington on the ground and will have a clear experience advantage should the match go into overtime, something that SUG matches have been criticized for reaching more often than not in the past.
The full Submission Underground 21 event will be available to watch live on March 28th on UFC FightPass, click here to subscribe and watch.
