Covington refuses 155-pound drop, slams ‘bully’ Poirier and ‘mentally weak’ peers

Colby Covington during his UFC 268 title fight with Kamaru Usman. | Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC

Colby Covington sends a special message to Dustin Poirier and his peers who cut weight. At least for the past five yea…


Colby Covington during his UFC 268 title fight with Kamaru Usman.
Colby Covington during his UFC 268 title fight with Kamaru Usman. | Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC

Colby Covington sends a special message to Dustin Poirier and his peers who cut weight.

At least for the past five years, Colby Covington has been known to speak his mind. This time, “Chaos” shared his opinion on weight cutting, a common practice in his chosen industry.

In a recent conversation with James Lynch, the two-time UFC welterweight title challenger first went after former teammate Dustin Poirier.

“I’m not a bully,” Covington said when asked if he’d drop to 155 pounds. “I’m not like Dustin ‘Louisiana Swamp Trash’ Poirier. That guy, he’s a bully. He’s got to cut all that weight. He grew, he hit a growth spurt in his late 20s and he’s a bigger guy now. He walks around 185, 190.”

Covington, who claims to walk around at 182 pounds, also has his long-term well-being in mind. He also took the opportunity to take a shot at many of his contemporaries who cut weight to gain a perceived advantage.

“I don’t want to struggle. When you cut that type of weight, it’s so unhealthy for your body. Taking all that water out of your brain and just dehydrating your body like that, it’s just not good, man,” he explained.

“I’m thinking about the long run in my life. I’m not cheating. I’m not using steroids. I’m not cutting massive amounts of weight, things that just destroy your body and take years off your life.

“I do it the right way. I just show up and fight in my natural weight class that I weigh. I don’t have to cut weight. I just show up and fight and show the world what I’m capable of. Show the world my potential. And that’s how it should be.

“All these guys think they’re gonna have such an advantage by cutting all this weight. It’s a myth. It just shows how mentally weak people are.”

Covington is fresh off his UFC 268 title rematch with Kamaru Usman three weeks ago, which he lost on the scorecards. However, he remains adamant about winning the fight three rounds to two.