Islam Makhachev has increased the stakes following Colby Covington’s charity proposal.

The UFC welterweight champion is getting backlash after delaying his return, which according to Dana White was originally verbally agreed for January.

With that, Makhachev will not be competing inside the Octagon until later in the year, much to the dismay of top contender Carlos Prates and MMA fans.

So far, the Dagestani has not been staying active between fights by grappling like Arman Tsarukyan, Khamzat Chimaev, and many others have. But it sounds like he could be open to changing that.

Who do you want to see battling it out on the RAF mats? 🤼

Some big names from the MMA world have already crossed over, including Khamzat Chimaev and Arman Tsarukyan.

Islam Makhachev would wrestle or play padel against Colby Covington with $200k on the line for charity

One of the most active names away from the Octagon this year has been Colby Covington.

Since being denied a spot on the White House card and subsequently retiring from the UFC, ‘Chaos’ has appeared in numerous wrestling and submission-only matches.

Among the potential grappling opponents in the Miami native’s sights is Makhachev, but Covington recently had a different sport in mind for the Dagestani.

After seeing the champ developing his own padel company, Covington called him out for a $100k charity doubles match with teammates of their choosing.

During a recent interview with Red Corner MMA, Makhachev offered to put another $100k down, be it for a padel game or a wrestling match.

“No problem. We can wrestle, we can play (padel), and I would add $100k more,” Makhachev said.

“I think he’s got no chance. Neither in wrestling nor in padel. But I am not against this idea.”

Those comments come days after Makhachev’s manager, Rizvan Magomedov, named Covington alongside Khamzat Chimaev and Kamaru Usman as potential wrestling opponent options for the welterweight king.

For now, ‘Chaos’ and ‘Borz’ are preparing to collide under the RAF banner. After being submitted in less than a minute by Raul Rosas Jr. in Hype FC, Covington will defend his cruiserweight crossover title against Chimaev at RAF Abu Dhabi on November 14.