Colby Covington claims to have felt little resistance from his most recent opponent.
The man known as “Chaos” has been absent from action since UFC 272 in March 2022. In the match up, Covington went toe-to-toe with his former best friend turned bitter rival, Jorge Masvidal, where the duo temporarily settled their feud.
Covington defeated Masvidal in a lopsided unanimous decision victory before the two were embroiled in a legal battle that began later that month. Masvidal assaulted Covington outside a Miami Steakhouse, leading the two to fight in court until the case was resolved early last month (Nov. 6, 2023). As he gears up to return to action at UFC 296 next weekend (Sat., Dec. 16, 2023), Covington reflected on his recent two outings with fondness despite his layoff.
“It was an easy fight, five rounds of domination, 50-43 and a soda,” Covington told ESPN. “Been big brothering that guy my whole life. He’s never won a second of any round off me so just another dominating performance. Especially coming off the three-month turnaround from beating ‘Marty’ [Kamaru] Usman in Madison Square Garden. I thought I came back and rallied, won the last three rounds. I dropped him in the fourth.
“I feel like I beat him that night,” he continued. “Just ‘cause they didn’t put the belt around me and three judges cageside didn’t score the fight for me, they gave him three rounds to two against me, that’s okay. Those aren’t the people that are gonna determine my value, my worth on this planet. The fans are impressed by my work, that’s all that matters to me. I feel like I am the champion.”
Covington’s last bid for UFC Welterweight gold came in his rematch against Usman at UFC 268 in November 2021. Unfortunately for “Chaos,” he suffered his second loss to the “Nigerian Nightmare” via a hard-fought unanimous decision. When he takes on the current champion, Leon Edwards, in the UFC 296 main event, Covington will look to make his third attempt at undisputed UFC gold the charm.