When a guy (or gal) is scheduled to fight, they typically gear up in protective pads to avoid injury or in many cases an accidental cut, like the one that sent Ken Shamrock to the sidelines, promoted Seth Petruzelli to the Kimbo Slice main event, and brought the entire EliteXC promotion crumbling down.
Or the one that gave a long and prosperous career to Ilir Latifi.
With that in mind, it should not come as a surprise to see former UFC interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier covered head-to-toe in this undated sparring footage released by former teammate Colby Covington, who is trying to scuff “The Diamond” just a few days out from his UFC 264 main event against Conor McGregor.
I guess we’re supposed to be shocked that someone got dropped in hard sparring?
Why don’t you post the video of @DustinPoirier dropping you with a body shot? Always hating on people with power #supernecessary
— Jorge Masvidal UFC (@GamebredFighter) July 6, 2021
Anybody who thinks Dustin did anything wrong in the sparring video has never spent time in a gym before ha.
— ike vallie-flagg (@IKEVF) July 6, 2021
Also, if Colby put this out with malice he’s more of a dick than Dustin ever could be for being being in the middle of a round and clipping a guy. Your either snitching on Dustin or trying to make the other guy look like shit. Both are bad looks.
— ike vallie-flagg (@IKEVF) July 6, 2021
Yes, people get submitted, dropped, hurt, injured and KO’ed in sparring sometimes. I shouldn’t be shocked that some people are shocked but here we are in 2021. ???
— Kenny Florian (@kennyflorian) July 6, 2021
People who think Dustin Poirier did something wrong in that sparring video, what do you think sparring is supposed to look like? He drops the guy and backs off immediately. What would you have him do differently while he’s trying to train for a UFC fight?
— Ben Fowlkes (@benfowlkesMMA) July 6, 2021
Covington, no stranger to bashing Poirier in the media, is likely trying to get some payback for the American Top Team drama that got him booted from the gym. Unfortunately for “Chaos,” who is hoping to score another title fight later this year, the video doesn’t appear to have served its intended purpose.
For much more on UFC 264: “Poirier vs. McGregor 3” be sure to check out our official UFC 264 news archive by clicking here. For the complete UFC 264 fight card and PPV lineup spread across Fight Pass, ESPN+, and ESPN click here.