The always-controversial Colby Covington proved at UFC 272 that he’s one of the greatest welterweights in the division with his crushing win over best friend turned enemy Jorge Masvidal.
But he also reminded the UFC world exactly why he is hated by so many – from his antics in the cage to his rude call-out of a rival after the fight.
Covington, a Donald Trump supporter who revels in being the heel of the UFC, poked his rival’s eye in the first round and kneed Masvidal in the groin in the second round en route to his comprehensive unanimous decision win.
‘Total domination’: UFC’s most hated man lays on 25-minute beatdown of bitter rival
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Then he called out yet another former training partner in lightweight contender Dustin Poirier.
“I just took care of Miami street trash, now it’s time to take care of Louisiana swamp trash,” he said. “Where you at Dustin Poirier, you c***?
“You said it’s on site, name the site Dustin. Bring that jezebel of a wife and that little kid that’s Conor’s (McGregor) kid. I’ll see you soon. You’re next.”
Many UFC fans were quick to criticise Covington for his attack on Poirier’s family – though he has never held back from making outrageous attacks on rival’s families before.
Poirier also took to Twitter, writing: “Maybez fight a welterweight contender?”
Covington has now beaten three former training partners from American Top Team in a row, having left that gym following a row over promised payment. Fighting Poirier makes sense for Covington, who has lost two consecutive bouts to welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and is unlikely to get a third shot in the near future. Poirier is a big name who is tied to the bitter saga surrounding Covington’ s ATT departure, making it a sellable fight.
But Poirier himself is unlikely to want to shift weight classes and delay his own title ambitions to take on Covington – unless the UFC decides this match-up is one it desperately wants to pursue. Money talks, as always.
Meanwhile, beaten Masvidal proved there was no love lost between the two after the fight.
“He’s a b***h. But that b***h can wrestle though,” he said in his post-fight press conference.
Recognising that the gap in wrestling ability was the key to his defeat, he said he wish he had gone to college to learn how to wrestle.
“To lose to a b***h like that, who talks about people’s kids and religions & nations, it sucks to lose to a coward like that. S**t, man. If I could do it all over again, I would’ve gone to college and wrestled my ass off, got my grades up and be able to stuff all these guys up and then just keep it on the feet. But I was just flat on the wresting, brother.”
The pair refused to touch gloves prior to the fight, and traded ugly verbal barbs during the fight, between rounds, and once the bout concluded. It was little surprise that they continued their animosity in their subsequent pressers.
Masvidal said: “It just sucks because this idiot talked about my kids. He’s still a guy, if I see him out in the streets, I’m going to give him everything I’ve got to break his f***ing jaw.”
As for Covington, he said he had no respect for Masvidal despite them sharing the cage for five rounds of fierce battle.
He told Fox Sports there was no chance of reconciliation.
“Absolutely not. If I see that guy in the streets of Miami he’s getting dropped on his head. I’ll probably go to jail for manslaughter because there’s no-one who is going to be able to pull me off of him then. He’s just a piece of s**t person and I can’t respect someone like that.”
“I was ready for five more rounds in the parking lot if he wanted,” he said in his press conference.