Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
“As far as Colby Covington goes, I’m a professional. I could not care less what that man says anymore.”
British referee Marc Goddard has found himself in the crosshairs of Colby Covington ever since he officiated the UFC 245 main event last year, when Kamaru Usman disposed of Covington via fifth-round TKO to retain his welterweight title.
Covington has since labelled Goddard a ‘fake referee’ because he feels the fight was stopped too early.
Covington has hurled profanities at Goddard in various interviews since that fight but the veteran referee has kept his cool and remained professional.
Speaking to The Schmo in a recent interview (h/t Darryl Pinto of Essentially Sports), Goddard said he ‘couldn’t care less’ what ‘Chaos’ says about him anymore.
“As far as Colby Covington goes, I’m a professional. I could not care less what that man says anymore. I’ve listened to him slander and besmirch me for six months, and as a referee, we’re not supposed to respond. And I’m not going to respond, you know.”
“He doesn’t know what I put into this game. As a referee you’re going to make decisions sometimes that’s gonna please half of the room and upset the other half. I know what I do, and I know how I do it. I have integrity. Sadly you get people like Colby, save your schtick for your opponents. It’s not for me, you know. You get upset with me, it’s no problem, there’s plenty of other referees. Of course, I’m not gonna officiate another one of his fights.”
Covington has also targeted just about every fighter on the UFC roster and is possibly the most hated man in the promotion. The former interim UFC welterweight champion recently left American Top Team (ATT) after causing several disputes with his teammates. Covington is currently #2 in the UFC welterweight division and is expected to return to the Octagon later this year.