The welterweight top contender decided to cut a promo on one of the UFC’s broadcast team members, apparently over Anik’s support of Belal Muhammad’s quest for a title shot.
Is it a gimmick? Is it real life? Do any of those questions even matter?
Colby Covington is one of MMA’s loudest personalities. It’s a trick he picked up, allegedly, after realizing that the quiet, respectable version of him was boring everyone to death and might someday cost him his spot on the UFC roster. That was 6+ years and several title shots ago.
His status with the world’s largest MMA promotion may have changed for the better since then, but the gimmick has only gotten worse. And with the announcement of another title shot in the making, it seems ‘Chaos’ has decided to ramp up the trash talk once again. This time, targeted at those critical of the 35-year-old’s seemingly unearned re-entry into no. 1 contender status.
Understand acutely why Colby Covington was the back-up but hard not to feel for @bullyb170! 9-fight unbeaten streak. Hasn’t lost in 4-plus years. Just KO’d a previously undefeated fighter. The man deserves his respect and I don’t say that b/c he hosts a podcast w/ my twin bro.
— Jon Anik (@Jon_Anik) March 17, 2023
A seemingly innocuous show of support from UFC commentator Jon Anik for one of the men very clearly in the hunt for a chance at welterweight gold. But apparently also exactly what Covington needed to go full pro-wrestling mode and threaten to kill the man while also claiming that Muhammad is a racist.
“So, you wanted to lick my frickin’ balls in London, ‘Oh Colby! This, this, this!’” Covington said in a hilarious moment of self censorship during a recent interview on MMA Fighting. “But then you want to go back behind the stage and cheerlead for a racist! So he associates with racism and Belal Muhammad.
“And, you know, Jon Anik, dude, I don’t want your kids to grow up without a dad. Just realize you live in Boca, I live in Miami motherfucker. You’re not too far from me. So you better shut your fucking mouth. You poke the bear? Now you get the bear comes after you.”
Colby SOUNDS OFF on Jon Anik lmao
( @MMAFighting ) pic.twitter.com/56NTfYNIhS
— GOATmero (@SoldierOfRomero) March 21, 2023
Chances self professed ursine impersonator Covington actually takes a swing at Jon Anik ever? Almost certainly zero. In the meantime, however, he sounds more than happy to provoke and promote violent hostility towards Anik and Muhammad; pleased as punch to be someone’s inspiration, but completely unwilling to get his hands dirty on his own.
There’s currently no set date for Covington vs. Edwards. For his part, ‘Rocky’ has sounded just as skeptical of the MMA Masters fighter’s claim to a title shot as Anik. However Dana White has been bullish on the idea that the two men will face off sometime later this year.