Colby Covington has admitted that his personality in the Ultimate Fighting Championship is all for show.
Covington, who is set to challenge Kamaru Usman for the welterweight strap this Saturday, made the revelation on Wednesday night at a Q and A session in Las Vegas.
“I’ve never told this story before but three fights ago, before I fought the No. 2 guy in the world, this guy named Demian Maia in Brazil, they had told my manager Dan Lambert that they weren’t going to re-sign me.”
“They didn’t like my style, they didn’t like that I wasn’t entertaining. This is before I really started to become an entertainer and really understand the entertainment aspect of the business.”
“Before this fight, they told me no matter what happens, I was ranked No. 6 in the world, we’re not re-signing you, we don’t like your character, we don’t like your fighting style.”
“And I’m getting paid $30,000 to go fight the No. 2 guy in the world. After you pay taxes and pay your coaches you’re really going to get $5000 or $10,000,” Chaos said, per MMA Fighting.
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Excuse
The admission came as a shock to some UFC stars, who was with Covington during the pre-fight press conference, with the reigning welterweight champion saying the American will be using that card as an excuse for his upcoming defeat.
“If you’re putting on an act, you’ve got to sell that,” Usman stressed.
“That’s your sh*t. But that just lets me know his weakness…come on, let’s dissect this thing.”
“You’re already finding a way out. ‘People don’t hate, once I get beat up on Saturday, don’t hate me because I was just putting on an act because when they were going to cut me.’”
“He knew I was the fight he didn’t want. He’s already been showing his cards for a long time.”
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Shook
For Max Holloway, Covington’s revelation left him ‘shook,’ suggesting the American should stay with the act even after his MMA career.
“That’s heavy, cuz,” Holloway said.
“If you’re going to put up an act, I think you’ve got to stay with the act.”
“When you retire, like WWE guys, they do their stuff, and they keep that act no matter where they’re at, and then when they retire, then they talk about, oh, it was an act.”
“I’m kind of surprised that he came out of nowhere and said it.”
Two-weight UFC champion, Amanda Nunes, has also given her take on Covington’s fake persona.
“They have me on a leash, for sure, because this lifestyle is crazy,” Nunes stated.
“You don’t know how to handle it some times, but that’s why you surround yourself with good people who have your back.”
(Featured Image Source: Instagram/ Max Holloway, Colby Covington, and Kamaru Usman)