Colby Covington is back and more volatile than ever with his targeting of potential opponents.
If you thought Covington’s verbal jabs at his last two opponents, Leon Edwards and Jorge Masvidal, were in poor taste, the one-time interim Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight champion is doing his best to “top” said moments. “Chaos” will look to rebound off a loss in whatever his next fight ends up being, and if he has his way, Covington may take on the rising undefeated 14-0 contender, Ian Machado Garry.
Covington and Garry were both supposed to have separate fights at UFC 296 in December 2023. Unfortunately for Garry, an illness on fight week pulled him from his match up with Geoff Neal, which was pushed back to UFC 298 last month (Feb. 17, 2024). Garry went on to win the bout via split decision while Covington was outclassed via a unanimous decision against their division’s champion, Leon Edwards, at UFC 296. Initially, Covington mentioned Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson directly after his loss, but has now turned his attention to the polarizing Irish star.
“Ian Garry, you translucent cuck, you wanted my attention, now you got it,” Covington said in an X video. “Everybody knows why you want to fight me, Ian. I’m the biggest star in the division. It’s big city, bright lights, and the most attention and eyes you’re ever going to have on you when I fight.
“Everybody knows, Ian. You missed your chance,” he continued. “You had your chance in December to step on the same stage as me and have a microphone and say whatever you want to say to me. But you were scared. You were scared of what I was going to say to you and you got the sniffles and you cried your way out. That was just a taste of what I could do to you, Ian.”
However, Covington’s shots weren’t exclusive to Garry, as his wife, Layla Machado Garry, received plenty as well. The couple fell under scrutiny within the community in late 2023 after an old book authored by Garry’s wife, How To Be A Wag, resurfaced online. Garry has gone on to share the degrees of harassment he and his family have received since. It hasn’t been enough to stop the limitless Covington.
“All I did was ask the 5000 people in attendance how many people banged your wife,” Covington said of the UFC 296 pre-fight press conference. “It’s not my fault every single one of them raised their hand. If you’re scared of that, Ian, if you’re scared of words, what do you think it’s going to be like when you step in the steel cage with ‘Chaos’?
“You just went life and death with a guy (Neal) that does that part-time, is a busboy at Outback [Steakhouse],” he concluded. “You went to a split decision with that guy.”
Ultimately, Covington continued his callout by noting how a potential fight would do more for Garry than it would him thanks to their spots in the official UFC rankings (Covington No. 4, Garry No. 7). Therefore, Covington laid out a set of absurd stipulations Garry will have to follow for him to accept a bout. Since Covington’s last win over the aforementioned Masvidal in March 2022, Garry has gone 6-0.
“If you can meet these three stipulations, we got a fight,” Covington said. “Stipulation No. 1, you and that gold-digging whore got to turn your Instagram comments back on and if you turn them off before the fight, you forfeit the fight. If you turn them off during fight week or after I beat your ass, you forfeit your purse.
“Stipulation No. 2, Ian, we’ve heard you cry and beg on your knees, but we all know that you’re not the boss and you don’t wear the pants in the relationship,” he continued. “Layla, you got 60 seconds to convince me and the people why this fight needs to happen. So, put your husband in the corner, get on your hands and knees, and beg.
“Now, for stipulation No. 3, my personal favorite,” Covington concluded. “As you all might have noticed, something’s been missing from my MyBookie promos lately. That’s because I’ve been saving that spot for a special someone. Layla, you want to be a star? You want the spotlight? I got it for you, sweetie. You want your 15 seconds of fame, Layla? I’ll give you your 15 seconds of fame right here [points at arm] for America’s pick of the week. After I beat your husband, because that’s a foregone conclusion I will beat him, he’s going to sit in the corner just like he does with all that cuck stuff you guys do and he’s going to watch when you get your 15 seconds of fame. Ball’s in your court now, cuck boy. You’ve got 24 hours to respond.”