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Colby Covington will look to claim the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight title this Saturday night (Dec. 14, 2019) when he faces off against division king, Kamaru Usman, in the main event of UFC 245 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
And it could very well be his last fight inside the Octagon. That’s if you believe his latest claim, saying that if the promotion doesn’t bump up his pay after this weekend he will take his ball and go play in WWE.
“No, I am not happy with what I am being compensated. I am being underpaid and undervalued,” Colby told ESPN regarding his purse for UFC 245.
“UFC needs to pay up and if they don’t pay up after this fight you will probably see me in WWE. This is it. I’m putting my foot down. I am willing to retire after Saturday night and go to WWE forever and leave this stupid corrupt business behind,” he added.
Covington is no stranger to badmouthing UFC and Dana White, and has even threatened to smack the outspoken president if he gets near him post-fight to present him the belt. That said, should he become the new king at 170 pounds Saturday night, the negotiations regarding a pay raise should be interesting.
“Everybody knows I am both sides, I am the A and B side, man. I’m America’s champion and the people’s champion and I am Donald Trump’s favorite fighter,” he added. “This belt right here, it’s the most coveted title in all of sports. Everybody knows I’m the man and they came to see me.”
There’s no denying Colby has pretty much stolen every headline leading up to the fight, which is saying something since there are three champions on the card looking to defend their belts.
As far as potential move over to WWE, Vince McMahon and Co, are very receptive of MMA fighters looking to broaden their horizons.
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 245 fight card this weekend RIGHT HERE, starting with the Fight Pass/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:15 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPN 2 at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 245: “Usman vs. Covington” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.