Colby Covington may have seemed muted in the cage at UFC 296, but afterward he was right back to his usual, brazen self.
“Chaos” fell short in his bid to unseat Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight king Leon Edwards in Saturday’s main event, losing the first four rounds on all judges’ scorecards and seeming hesitant to apply his trademark pressure and wrestling. Afterward, Covington raised his hands as if to celebrate a win, and appeared surprised when the scores were read and the winner announced.
Covington doubled down on his stance in his post-fight interview, saying he thought he had done enough to get his hands raised. He further claimed to have been robbed of a title victory due to the judges’ political bias against former US President Donald Trump, who had been in attendance. Covington said:
“I thought the third, fourth and fifth rounds were mine. The fifth was mine, easily. Fourth, I thought was mine too, and I thought I did enough in the third. He didn’t put any damage on me. He got a couple of low kicks, but then I started checking them at the end. So I thought I had the win and did enough.” “The judges never favor me. They hate me because I support Trump, and everybody hates Trump in this building, so ... it is what it is. Life goes on.”
The challenger’s claim of an anti-Trump crowd was at variance with the loud positive reception the former president received upon entering T-Mobile Arena that night. Trump’s history with the promotion stretches back over two decades, and he has been a periodic presence at UFC events during his presidency as well as after. Covington has been a vocal Trump supporter for several years, even earning an invitation to bring his interim welterweight belt to the White House in 2019.
Asked about his seeming lack of intent in the fight, Covington evaded the question by reiterating his support for Trump. While the Las Vegas arena paused for a few seconds out of respect for the former POTUS, they soon returned to booing “Chaos” throughout his Octagon interview.
Many considered Covington to be undeserving of the title shot in the first place considering a long layoff and lack of credible wins in the recent past. After his third failed attempt at undisputed gold, Covington has apparently lowered his aim, calling out two-time former title challenger Stephen Thompson, who suffered a submission loss to Kazakh phenom Shavkat Rakhmonov on the same card. Covington accused the 40-year-old “Wonderboy,” who is widely regarded as one of the most affable, respectful competitors in the UFC, of being an instigator.
“There’s a guy that’s been talking a lot of s— to me in the media: Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson. Everybody thinks he’s a nice guy, but he’s had a lot to say about me, so I’d love to see him say that to me in the cage, in the Octagon.”
“He was just saying some stuff before the fight — ‘Oh, he’s going to get his jaw broke,’ this and that. He’s always talking s—, throwing shade. So I’d love to see him say it to my face. He’s always got things to say to you guys in the media, but I’ve never seen him come up to me, face to face. We’re backstage at the press conference, he kept his head down the whole time.”
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