In recent years, former Interim UFC Welterweight Champion Colby Covington has become one of the most controversial fighters in UFC history. Along with his dominant wrestling abilities, Covington has used his right-wing beliefs and trash talk to get under his opponents’ skin. Ten years ago, Covington began his MMA career and used his wrestling skills to become one of the top prospects in the sport.
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He later started using his words to become one of the most prominent characters in the entire UFC. Overall, there are many things UFC fans should know when following the career of one of UFC’s most problematic fighters.
10 Jon Jones' Roommate
Prior to competing in MMA, Colby Covington was a college roommate of former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones.
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Covington and Jones were roommates while attending Iowa Central Community College. It is ironic that two of the most controversial UFC fighters in history would live together prior to starting their MMA careers. While Covington’s controversies come from the things he says to his opponents, Jones’ controversies come from his actions outside the cage, which often involve being in trouble with the law.
9 First Upset Loss
With eight straight victories, and the last three coming in the UFC, Covington was one of the top prospects in the UFC welterweight division. However, his undefeated streak came to an unexpected end following an upset loss.
In 2015, Covington was submitted by Warlley Alves. Following the loss, Covington would have to win five consecutive fights to get into title contention. After defeating Covington, Alves lost his next two fights and has since had mixed results in the UFC.
8 Spent Time In TNA
At one time, Covington trained with American Top Team, which is led by professional wrestling fanatic Dan Lambert.
Before he became a character on AEW television, Lambert spent time in TNA, known today as Impact Wrestling. Lambert brought fighters from ATT to accompany him in the ring. Among these fighters was Covington. During his time at TNA events, Covington learned the importance of being a character when trying to sell a fight. His time in the wrestling ring planted the seeds of whom he would later become.
7 His “Act” Saved His Career
Covington’s controversial persona began in 2017 when he fought Demian Maia in Brazil. After defeating Maia, Covington called Brazil a “dump” and referred to its people as “filthy animals.”
Despite being dominant in the cage, Covington felt his career was on the line because his most recent fights were coming from non-exciting decisions. In an interview with Candance Owens, a conservative talk show host, he said his “act” as a villain in Brazil saved his UFC career.
6 Trump Supporter
Covington is not shy to share his political beliefs. He is an outspoken supporter of former United States President Donald Trump.
In 2018, when he won an interim UFC title by defeating Rafael dos Anjos, Covington dedicated the win to Trump and said he wanted to present the title to Trump in the White House. A couple of months later, he did just that. Trump even called Covington to congratulate him after his win over Tyron Woodley in 2020.
5 Kurt Angle Theme Song
One of the most iconic theme songs in all of professional wrestling is the theme song of Kurt Angle. What makes Angle’s song so iconic is that fans chant “You Suck” along with the beat of the song.
Knowing that the majority of the UFC crowd would not cheer for him in his fight against Robbie Lawler in 2019, Covington decided to come out to Angle’s iconic theme song. The song served its purpose, and fans chanted “You Suck” while Covington made his way to the cage. Covington would go on to win the fight by unanimous decision.
4 Win Streak/Title Win
As previously mentioned, Covington won his first eight MMA fights. After suffering his first loss, Covington would win his next five fights to earn a UFC title opportunity. In 2018, at UFC 225, Covington defeated Rafael dos Anjos to win an interim UFC Welterweight Title.
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After defeating Dos Anjos, Covington defeated Robbie Lawler to push his UFC win streak to seven. Overall, Covington won 15 of his first 16 fights. In the end, Covington’s win streak was one of the most impressive in welterweight history.
3 WrestlePro Against “Tyquill” Woodley
In 2018, Covington was set to unify his interim title with the undisputed title in a fight against Tyron Woodley, who was UFC champion at the time. In the lead-up to the fight, Covington performed at a WrestlePro event and fought “Tyquill” Woodley.
Covington took trash talking to a whole different level when he defeated a man pretending to be Tyron Woodley at a professional wrestling event. While fighters regularly share insults to get into their opponent’s heads, they very rarely show this level of theatrics.
2 Stripped Of Title
Due to an injury, Covington did not fight Woodley in 2018. However, he did fight Woodley in a non-title fight in 2020. Covington would win the fight by TKO.
With Covington not being able to fight, the UFC stripped him of his interim welterweight championship. Covington would return to the UFC in August 2019. In his return, he defeated former UFC Welterweight Champion Robbie Lawler. After defeating Lawler, Covington earned a title opportunity against current UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman. Covington lost the fight by technical knockout.
1 Currently In Limbo
Covington has been almost perfect in the octagon, but he has not been able to win the UFC Welterweight Championship. In 2019, Covington failed to win the title against Kamaru Usman. After defeating Tyron Woodley in 2020, Covington earned another opportunity at the UFC title. Last year, at UFC 268, Covington lost a decision against Usman and once again failed to win the UFC title. Since then, Covington earned a victory against Jorge Masvidal, but his career is in limbo.
He has proven he can beat the best in his division, but he has failed twice to beat the champion. As long as Usman is champion, Covington’s career as a welterweight is in limbo due to the UFC being unlikely to grant him another title shot.
