Tag: Colby Covington

Was Colby Covington Ever Great? UFC Veterans Debate the Legacy of ‘Chaos’

Was Colby Covington Ever Great? UFC Veterans Debate the Legacy of 'Chaos'Was Colby Covington ever really that great? The three-time title challenger returned to the Octagon on Saturday night in…

Was Colby Covington Ever Great? UFC Veterans Debate the Legacy of 'Chaos'

Was Colby Covington ever really that great?

The three-time title challenger returned to the Octagon on Saturday night in Tampa for a short-notice scrap against streaking standout Joaquin Buckley.

Things turned disastrous for ‘Chaos’ early after Buckley landed a shot that cut open Covington’s right eyelid. The fight was ultimately called off due to a doctor’s stoppage in the waning seconds of the third round, much to the chagrin of both Buckley and Covington who wanted to keep going.

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The loss was an especially bad one for Covington who fell to 2-6 in his last eight fights and will likely find himself barely clinging onto a spot in the welterweight top 10 once the rankings are updated.

Following the UFC Tampa headliner, MMA veterans Angela ‘Overkill’ Hill and Jessica Penne offered their take on Covington’s performance and whether or not the staunch Trump supporter was ever truly that good inside the Octagon.

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“Is he great, or is he the guy that almost got fired and sold his soul for paychecks? I think he’s a great fighter, yeah,” Hill said on their 2 Straws podcast. “And I think we get distracted by the shtick, by the persona that he’s created. We really get distracted by it and forget that he’s a really good fighter.”

Penne and Hill think Colby Covington deserves respect

Penne echoed a similar sentiment in her assessment of Covington’s skills.

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“He is a tough fight. Now, he took this fight on short notice against Buckley, who is in his prime and on the rise,” Penne said. “I think we just kind of forget. But Colby is really talented.”

“His rise to the top, his fights against Usman—they were very competitive,” Hill added. “He had Usman on queer street a couple of times in those fights. Even in the Edwards fight, he didn’t really show up for that one, but he went hard in the fifth round and showed what he could do. It just might have been a mental flop. So, he’s definitely someone who is to be respected.“

Colby Covington’s Losing Run Blamed On American Top Team Exit: ‘Since He Left…’

For the first time in his pro career, Colby Covington is currently coming off of back-to-back losses. The former UFC interim welterweight champion returned this past weekend in Tampa where he was beaten by the surging Joaquin Buckley. “Chaos” has already spoken about the defeat where he outlined the significance of taking the fight on […]

For the first time in his pro career, Colby Covington is currently coming off of back-to-back losses. The former UFC interim welterweight champion returned this past weekend in Tampa where he was beaten by the surging Joaquin Buckley.

“Chaos” has already spoken about the defeat where he outlined the significance of taking the fight on short notice and the cut that he suffered above his right eye which eventually led to the doctor waving the fight off in the third round. Covington stated that he was only just getting going at the time of the stoppage but up until that point, “New Mansa” was clearly and comfortably winning the fight.

Many fans and fellow fighters were also very critical about Covington’s previous outing at UFC 296 last December where he was totally shut out by Leon Edwards in a welterweight title fight. Having been 15-1 heading into his first meeting with Kamaru Usman in 2019 to now being 17-5, some may simply put his decline in form down to his age.

At 36-years old, it’s not surprising that Covington would begin to slow down especially as a fighter whose biggest weapon is his cardio and output. Josh Thomson, however, believes that the controversial welterweight might not be preparing as well as he could be.

Covington’s nine years at American Top Team in Florida ended in 2020 following several altercations with some of his teammates who had made it very clear that they no longer wanted him on the team due to some of his comments about them. The likes of Jorge Masvidal and Dustin Poirier have remained at ATT whilst Covington has since moved to MMA Masters in Miami.

Thomson, who is a former fighter turned commentator, said on the Weighing In Podcast that he believes this is taking away from the three-time title challenger.

“I’m going to simply say that once you’ve trained at a prestigious gym like American Top Team [ATT], and then you find your way out of it, running your own camp in a smaller facility without many top-level people to train with, especially after leaving a gym with a plethora of world-class fighters…. it’s noticeable. You saw it tonight. I don’t know if it’s the age, because I know he’s older, but let’s be honest, within two fights, he doesn’t look like the same person since he left American Top Team.”

Thomson believes that not having the kind of people that he needs to really push him has taken away what made Covington so effective in the first place. If he was going to beat Buckley on Saturday night, he needed to put the pace on him but if anything, it was the other way round.

“Those are the rounds where you’re trying to catch your second, sometimes third, wind. But not having the talent that he needs to help push his pace in training is what I feel like I’m seeing right now. I’m seeing a fighter who is having a hard time setting a pace inside the cage against world-class fighters because he doesn’t have world-class fighters to train with anymore.”

Chael Sonnen Claims He Was Ready To Throw In The Towel While Cornering Colby Covington At UFC Tampa

If the doctor hadn’t have called off Colby Covington’s UFC Tampa main event this past weekend, cornerman Chael Sonnen was seemingly prepared to. Sonnen had a cageside view as the former interim welterweight champion returned to action 12 months on from his third failed attempt at capturing the undisputed crown. Covington made the walk to […]

If the doctor hadn’t have called off Colby Covington’s UFC Tampa main event this past weekend, cornerman Chael Sonnen was seemingly prepared to.

Sonnen had a cageside view as the former interim welterweight champion returned to action 12 months on from his third failed attempt at capturing the undisputed crown.

Covington made the walk to headline the year-ending UFC Fight Night on short notice, doing battle with the charging Joaquin Buckley inside Amalie Arena.

The polarizing veteran’s pursuit of a fourth shot at the gold began in difficult fashion, with “New Mansa” opening up a deep cut above his eye early before largely beating “Chaos” up through two rounds. And the first-round wound became so severe that the doctor stepped in to call off proceedings.

Both Dana White and Covington expressed disagreement with the call in the aftermath. One of those in the defeated fighter’s team, however, was apparently prepared to make the decision if the physician had not.

During a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Sonnen reflected on fight night in Florida, where Covington fell to a 2-4 record across his last six bouts and 0-4 against names currently inside the rankings at 170 pounds.

Interestingly, “The American Gangster” suggested he had the towel close by to throw in after seeing Covington’s struggles to fight through the deep and bloody cut.

“Colby was getting hit on his feet with everything you could do, he’s busted open so bad that the doctor has to look at it three times,” Sonnen said (h/t Bloody Elbow). “Twice, he stops the action to let it keep going, the third time he goes, ‘Man we can’t keep going anymore.’ I was going to stop that fight, I already grabbed the towel.

“When the doctor came in for the third time, and I’m watching that blood, it’s not stopping,” Sonnen continued. “It’s going into the eye, and that’s the only thing you’re really looking for. When we as fight fans, as ‘tough guys’, think the doctor should’ve stopped it, we’re talking about it doesn’t matter how bad the cut is from our perspective, as long as it’s not going in the eye. If it’s blinding the guy, it doesn’t matter if it’s a little or a lot…it’s the exact same thing. I said, ‘Hand me that towel, I’m stopping this.’”

That ultimately wasn’t required, however, with the cageside doctor advising referee Dan Miragliotta to wave off the contest in fear of Covington losing his eyelid.

With that, “Chaos” has now gone winless across a second straight calendar year, having not had his hand raised since a pay-per-view main event opposite longtime rival Jorge Masvidal in March 2022.

4 Fights We Need to See After UFC on ESPN 63

Joaquin Buckley can no longer be denied. Once a hot-and-cold middleweight, he is now 6-0 as a welterweight, with wins over a number of established contenders.…

Joaquin Buckley can no longer be denied. Once a hot-and-cold middleweight, he is now 6-0 as a welterweight, with wins over a number of established contenders.…

Colby Covington Issues First Comments On Brutal UFC Tampa Setback: ‘I Came Off The Couch!’

UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington was up to his usual antics when addressing his defeat this past weekend for the first time. Saturday’s event in Tampa didn’t go to plan for the former interim champion, who returned on short notice to headline the year-ending UFC Fight Night at Amalie Arena. The bout came 12 months […]

UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington was up to his usual antics when addressing his defeat this past weekend for the first time.

Saturday’s event in Tampa didn’t go to plan for the former interim champion, who returned on short notice to headline the year-ending UFC Fight Night at Amalie Arena.

The bout came 12 months on from Covington’s third failed attempt at claiming the undisputed crown, and in order to return to winning ways, he was tasked with stalling the charge of Joaquin Buckley.

Instead, “New Mansa” continued to climb the ladder toward gold at the polarizing veteran’s expense, beating him up across two rounds before a cut he caused with an elbow in the first frame proved too deep for “Chaos” to continue.

While the ending was somewhat anticlimactic and saw Dana White suggest wouldn’t have happened had the fight been staged in Las Vegas, many believed the writing was already on the wall for Covington’s chances of victory.

Unsurprisingly, the “many” does not include the man himself…

During a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Covington took fans behind the scenes before and after his headliner at Amalie Arena.

“Chaos” spoke to the camera post-fight, giving his first comments on a result that has left him 2-4 across his last six and 0-4 against names currently inside the welterweight top 15.

From the late-notice nature of the bout to the debated stoppage, “Chaos” had his usual litany of reasons to explain the loss ready.

“We’re gonna be back stronger than ever, this is just the beginning for me,” Covington said. “I wasn’t at my best tonight. I came off the couch but it was for the company, I did this for the company that I love so much that changed my life. … I know there’s still a lot of fight in me and the best is still yet to come.

“I was just getting warmed up in that fight, I think it was tied up 1-1 and I was starting to wear on him. I see him breathing out of his mouth, I was starting to catch him with more shots so it’s unfortunate that they stopped it,” Covington continued. “Even Dana (White) came out and said if that was in Vegas, it would’ve never been stopped. I took his hardest shots and they didn’t phase me at all. … We’ll come back stronger.”

It remains to be seen what the future holds for the 36-year-old, but he’s evidently not planning on hanging up his gloves — as some had advised following a defeat that leaves him firmly out of the championship conversation.

Buckley, meanwhile, looks set for even bigger things in 2025 after extending his perfect welterweight stint with a 4-0 run this year. Though he’s prepared to step in with gold on the line should Shavkat Rakhmonov fall out of his expected shot, “New Mansa” also set his sights on Kamaru Usman post-fight in Tampa.

Belal Muhammad Mocks Colby Covington After Dominant UFC Tampa Loss: ‘He Just Sucks’

UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad was among those roasting the polarizing Colby Covington after his latest defeat. Saturday proved to be a difficult night for Covington, as the former interim titleholder returned to action for the first time since a third failed bid at securing the undisputed crown against Leon Edwards last December. In his […]

UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad was among those roasting the polarizing Colby Covington after his latest defeat.

Saturday proved to be a difficult night for Covington, as the former interim titleholder returned to action for the first time since a third failed bid at securing the undisputed crown against Leon Edwards last December.

In his push to reinsert himself into the championship equation, “Chaos” accepted a short-notice UFC Fight Night headliner opposite the charging Joaquin Buckley in Tampa, looking to hand “New Mansa” his first loss since dropping to the division.

But the controversial veteran convincingly failed in that task, with Buckley putting a beating on him en route to a TKO via doctor’s stoppage in round three.

While a cut caused the bout’s end, there was little doubt over who was having the better of things. That, unsurprisingly, brought out Covington’s sizable group of enemies and detractors.

As expected, champ Muhammad was among those enjoying the result…

“(laughing) man I knows he’s gonna have a bunch of excuses but he just sucks,” Muhammad wrote on X.

Muhammad and Covington have frequently gone back and forth across recent years.

But with the former on the throne following his win over Edwards this past July and the latter far from challenging for it again post-UFC Tampa, it would appear that the chances of the pair settling their score inside the cage are now slim.