Colby
Covington may have seemed muted in the cage at
UFC 296, but afterward he was right back to his usual, brazen
self.
“Chaos” fell short in his bid to unseat
Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight king Leon
Edwards in Saturday’s main event, losing the first four rounds
on all judges’ scorecards and seeming hesitant to apply his
trademark pressure and wrestling. Afterward, Covington raised his
hands as if to celebrate a win, and appeared surprised when the
scores were read and the winner announced.
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Covington doubled down on his stance in his
post-fight interview, saying he thought he had done enough to
get his hands raised. He further claimed to have been robbed of a
title victory due to the judges’ political bias against former US
President Donald Trump, who had been in attendance. Covington
said:
“I thought the third, fourth and fifth rounds were mine. The fifth
was mine, easily. Fourth, I thought was mine too, and I thought I
did enough in the third. He didn’t put any damage on me. He got a
couple of low kicks, but then I started checking them at the end.
So I thought I had the win and did enough.” “The judges never favor
me. They hate me because I support Trump, and everybody hates Trump
in this building, so … it is what it is. Life goes on.”
The challenger’s claim of an anti-Trump crowd was at variance with
the loud positive reception the former president received upon
entering T-Mobile Arena that night. Trump’s history with the
promotion stretches back over two decades, and he has been a
periodic presence at UFC events during his presidency as well as
after. Covington has been a vocal Trump supporter for several
years, even earning an invitation to bring his interim welterweight
belt to the White House in 2019.
Asked about his seeming lack of intent in the fight, Covington
evaded the question by reiterating his support for Trump. While the
Las Vegas arena paused for a few seconds out of respect for the
former POTUS, they soon returned to booing “Chaos” throughout his
Octagon interview.
Many considered Covington to be undeserving of the title shot in
the first place considering a long layoff and lack of credible wins
in the recent past. After his third failed attempt at undisputed
gold, Covington has apparently lowered his aim, calling out
two-time former title challenger Stephen
Thompson, who suffered a submission loss to Kazakh phenom
Shavkat
Rakhmonov on the same card. Covington accused the 40-year-old
“Wonderboy,” who is widely regarded as one of the most affable,
respectful competitors in the UFC, of being an instigator.
“There’s a guy that’s been talking a lot of s— to me in the media:
Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson. Everybody thinks he’s a nice guy, but
he’s had a lot to say about me, so I’d love to see him say that to
me in the cage, in the Octagon.”
“He was just saying some stuff before the fight — ‘Oh, he’s going
to get his jaw broke,’ this and that. He’s always talking s—,
throwing shade. So I’d love to see him say it to my face. He’s
always got things to say to you guys in the media, but I’ve never
seen him come up to me, face to face. We’re backstage at the press
conference, he kept his head down the whole time.”