Tag: Colby Covington

Overreaction Time: UFC drops the ball, Colby Covington’s time up, DDP makes a big mistake, more!

Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” as host Simon Samano and Mike Bohn cover big UFC event developments and more.

The time for overreacting is here!

Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” at noon ET/9 a.m. PT as host Simon Samano and MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn debate these “overreactions” on the following topics in mixed martial arts:

  • UFC dropped the ball by not booking [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] at UFC 310.
  • [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] should be cut from the UFC.
  • [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] has another UFC flyweight title run in him – and this one will last a while.
  • [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] wanting [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] instead of [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] is a big mistake.
  • Just a reminder: [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] has no chance of beating [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag].

Watch the full episode in the video above.

Ian Machado Garry: I accepted UFC offer to fight Colby Covington, but ‘he’s avoiding me like the plague’

Ian Machado Garry says it took him “all of 20 seconds” to accept a fight with Colby Covington when the UFC came knocking a month ago.

According to [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag], the UFC offered him a fight with [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag], but the holdup isn’t on his side.

Garry (15-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) has been angling to meet Covington (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) in the octagon for several months now, and the unbeaten welterweight contender revealed that the UFC came to him with a bout offer a month ago.

Garry accepted but said he’s yet to hear back from Covington.

“What’s up, everyone? So, I’m coming on to let everybody know, keep everybody in the loop and keep everyone updated because it matters,” Garry said in a video on his Instagram. “A month ago, I was offered a fight with Colby Covington. It took me all of 20 seconds to respond to the email saying, ‘Yes, I’m in.’ A month later, we’ve still got no response from Colby. He’s avoiding me like the plague, and there’s one reason and one reason only this fight isn’t happening, and his name is Colby Covington.”

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBLmpNHgTsh/?igsh=MWRsMWR2bDFpeXN1dA%3D%3D

In May, Covington denied ever being offered to fight Garry and said he’s seeking bigger fights. The three-time UFC title challenger and former interim champion hasn’t competed since a losing to then-champion Leon Edwards at UFC 296 in December 2023.

Garry has competed twice in 2024, defeating Geoff Neal at UFC 298 in February and Michael Page at UFC 303 in June.

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Sean Brady calls out Ian Machado Garry or ‘easiest matchup in the division’ Colby Covington after UFC Fight Night 242 win

Coming off a dominant win over Gilbert Burns, Sean Brady wants to fight Ian Machado Garry or Colby Covington next.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] or [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag]. Those are the two names [autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag] wants following his latest win in the octagon.

This past Saturday, Brady (17-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) defeated former UFC title challenger Gilbert Burns (22-8 MMA, 15-8 UFC) in a dominant unanimous decision win. The welterweight bout headlined UFC Fight Night 242 at the UFC Apex.

In his in-cage post-fight interview, Brady called out Garry, but then in the post-fight press conference, he added one more name to the request.

“I just think Ian thinks he’s God’s gift to earth, and he’s not, and I feel like everyone in this sport feel the same way,” Brady told reporters backstage. “I’ll fight him. I’ll fight Colby (Covington). I think Colby is the easiest matchup in the division. I’ll piece him up on the feet. I’ll rag doll him.

“I’d like to fight Ian – he’s an up and comer. I’m a little bit older than him, but I want to be here for a long time. He’s undefeated and he’s got some hype. Before, he said that he won’t fight guys ranked behind him, but I’ll be ranked ahead of him on Tuesday with that No. 6 spot. So yeah, maybe I’ll let him fight me. We’ll see how that goes.”

Brady is expecting a child with his wife in February, and he’d like to log in one more fight before then. When asked if he thinks Garry or Covington would take fights with him, Brady felt good about his chances.

“You can’t really turn down too many opportunities,” Brady said. “I’m going to go home, asses my bumps and bruises, and we’ll see where we’re at. But Colby or Ian Garry sounds like a fun one. Maybe December or early January. Like I said, before February 13th.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 242.

Kamaru Usman credits Colby Covington for being a ‘great dance partner’

As heated and personal as their rivalry was, Kamaru Usman says Colby Covington brought the best out of him.

Former UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] says rival [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] brought the best out of him.

Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) was pushed to the brink twice by Covington in their title fights but outlasted him to emerge victorious. Usman scored a late TKO of Covington in their first fight in November 2019, then dropped him twice in their rematch en route to a unanimous decision win at UFC 268.

But it wasn’t just Covington’s skills that Usman had to deal with. Covington pulled no punches when building up their fight, which “The Nigerian Nightmare” appreciates in hindsight.

“I say it all the time, and I know people can’t believe the fact that I would  actually go, ‘Credit to Colby Covington,'” Usman said on the “Weighing In” podcast. “I used to hear it all the time where people say, ‘You need a dance partner. You need a great dance partner.’ And he was that.

“In that fight, in that first fight, it was so much tension to where it challenged me so much to prepare, to train, and to go out there and just get locked into the zone. It was almost addicting, that zone where I don’t care what happens.”

Usman finds himself chirping back-and-forth with welterweight champion Belal Muhammad, which he previously admitted has lit a fire under him. Currently on a three-fight losing skid, Usman explained how self-motivation is ultimately what matters most.

“That’s a great thing (rival) to have,” Usman said. “For me, I always learned very early on that I’m very self-motivated. I am. But I learned very early on that it’s a fight against myself. I always want to prove myself wrong, and a lot of these fights it was me shocking myself that, ‘Wow, I really was able to do that. I really fought the battle in my mind to do that.'”

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Colby Covington (predictably) rips ‘f*cking p*ssy’ Belal Muhammad, ‘quitter’ Leon Edwards after UFC 304

Colby Covington didn’t watch UFC 304, but that didn’t stop the three-time welterweight title-fight loser from publicly sharing his opinion.

[autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] didn’t watch UFC 304, but that didn’t stop the three-time welterweight title-fight loser from publicly sharing his uneducated opinion on the main event between [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] and [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag].

Muhammad became the undisputed 170-pound champion this past weekend after defeating Edwards by unanimous decision with an impressive performance at Co-op Live in Manchester, England. In an interview with Submission Radio, Covington said he wasn’t surprised by the result because he didn’t think Edwards (22-4 MMA, 14-3 UFC) entered UFC 304 with anything to prove after Edwards beat him this past December to retain his title.

“Not really, just because I know that Leon made so much money in the last fight with me, that I don’t think he’s hungry anymore,” Covington said. “I think he’s lost his motivation. He has nothing more to fight for. What is he fighting for? He’s already achieved everything that he’s set out to do. He’s reached the top of the mountain. He’s not the type of guy that’s gonna get knocked down, get back up and fight harder. He’s a quitter. He’s shown it in the past, and you can tell he just doesn’t have that hunger anymore.

“I don’t know what happened in the fight or how the fight went, but I could just tell you that I knew Leon wasn’t gonna be motivated. I think that’s the last we saw of him. Now Leon can go back to the prelims where he belongs.”

Although Covington (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) never has fought Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC), they do have a history of exchanging trash talk. So even though Muhammad achieved two things this past weekend that Covington hasn’t by beating Edwards and claiming the undisputed UFC welterweight title, Covington’s assessment of the new champion was what you’d expect.

“The guy’s a f*cking p*ssy,” Covington said. “The only time that (Belal Muhammad) wanted to fight me was when I already had a title fight signed, sealed and delivered. That’s the only time he’s wanted to fight me, otherwise he’s never said my name because he’s a little b*tch. He knows what I would do to him. If I cross paths with him, he won’t be champion anymore. He won’t be a man anymore. I will take his man card. … I’d love to fight him. I hope that fight happens. I’ll do whatever it takes to get to that.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

Colby Covington sees ‘mentally weak’ Charles Oliveira as potential welterweight opponent

“The biggest and best fight for Charles Oliveira’s legacy would be Colby Covington.”

[autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] is still interested in welcoming former UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] to welterweight.

Oliveira (34-10 MMA, 22-10 UFC) mentioned the possibility of moving up to 170 pounds after losing a split decision to Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300 in April. That prompted Covington (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) to call him out, and Oliveira said he’d be open to it.

Covington’s callout of Oliveira didn’t gather much steam, but he doubled down on his interest after dismissing Ian Machado Garry.

“It’s still a potential fight,” Covington told Submission Radio of Oliveira. “The UFC hasn’t shown much interest with it, but if you look at the landscape and what he said in his recent interview, that he wants to go up a weight to 170, he’s a big guy. He’s taller than me. He weighs more than me.

“The guy’s just a weight bully cutting to 155 because he wants to be stronger in there because he doesn’t have a mental edge. He’s mentally weak, so he needs to have a physical edge. He needs to be the bigger guy in the fight to feel confident going into a fight.”

Covington is coming off a title loss to welterweight champion Leon Edwards at UFC 296. He’s eyeing a big name for his next bout but doubts Oliveira fights him.

“He’s another one of those guys with baseless words,” Covington said. “Said all these things, ‘I want big legacy fights, I want to go up to 170.’ Well, here’s your chance, Charles Oliveira. I’m the biggest fight you can get. Former world champion, the king of Brazil, the king of Miami, Donald Trump’s favorite fighter. What’s going to be bigger for your legacy, Charles, than fighting me? You want the biggest fight? The ball is in your court, Charles.

“Let’s see if you’re a man of your word. You talked a big game and said you want to come up to 170. There’s nothing left for you at 155. All these other guys they’re trying to match you up with are complete nobodies. The biggest and best fight for Charles Oliveira’s legacy would be Colby Covington. So, let’s see if he’s about that life, but I don’t think he is. I think he’s going to run away because he knows what would happen.”

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Colby Covington thinks ‘bum’ Ian Machado Garry lost to Michael Page at UFC 303: ‘That was pathetic’

As far as Colby Covington is concerned, that was a loss for Ian Machado Garry at UFC 303.

[autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] wasn’t impressed with [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag]’s performance at UFC 303.

Garry (15-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) defeated Michael Page (22-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) by unanimous decision in Saturday’s main card opener at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, leaning on his grappling to get his hand raised and stay undefeated.

Garry was able to threaten “Venom” with a rear-naked choke early and comfortably won Round 1. Page rallied to outstrike Garry in Round 2, but Round 3 was a close, back-and-forth round with both fighters having control time on the ground.

Covington thinks it was a weak showing from Ireland’s Garry, and he is of the belief that MVP should have won.

“He’s fighting cans from the Indian casino leagues,” Covington told Submission Radio. “Oh, big, big deal. Anybody could be 15-0 fighting a bunch of bums. Even Dana White himself said what he thought of the performance. He thought it was a draw. He didn’t think there should have been a winner.

“I feel bad for the fans. The fans got robbed of a pay-per-view opener that’s supposed to be the opener for pay-per-view. That was pathetic. That guy’s fighting the No. 14 guy in the world and barely scraping by. I think he lost the fight. So, I feel bad for the fans. They got robbed. But it just shows how much of a bum he is.”

Garry, 26, accused Covington, 36, of ducking him at UFC 303 after the pair seemed to be on a collision course. UFC CEO Dana White, however, denied any notions that Covington declined the matchup. Covington continues to be dismissive of Garry and his star power.

“He was willing to do whatever he could to be on the Conor McGregor card because his name is Conor McGregor,” Covington said. “He’s the Conor McGregor wannabe. He did all this, pulled all these strings to get on the card, and then Conor left him at the altar. I thought it was pretty funny. I thought he was a star? I thought Ian Garry was a big name. What happened?

“They had their (UFC 303) co-main events fall through like six or seven times. There was a guy that was already on the card. Why couldn’t he get bumped up to co-main event? I guess that shows us what UFC thinks about the guy, that the guy’s an absolute nobody. He’s a bum, and he has no reason to talk about anything.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.

Colby Covington explains why he didn’t fight ‘nobody’ Ian Machado Garry: ‘I want big fights’

Ian Machado Garry wasn’t a lucrative enough fight for Colby Covington.

[autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] wasn’t a lucrative enough fight for [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag].

Covington (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) and Garry traded barbs for weeks, and appeared to be on a collision course before the fight fell apart. Covington hasn’t competed since a title loss to welterweight champion Leon Edwards at UFC 296 this past December – a fight where he broke his foot early.

Covington completely moved on from the idea of fighting undefeated Garry (14-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC). The former multiple-time title challenger responded to Daniel Cormier previously saying that he needs to recognize the situation he’s in and fight Garry.

“I love Daniel Cormier, as well – he’s a friend of mine. But everybody knows he’s a media head now, so he’ll do anything to get some clickbait,” Covington said on SOSCAST w/ Adam Sosnick. “Who’s the easiest name in the UFC to get some clickbait off of? Oh, trash Colby Covington – say some mean things about him and you will get some sympathy from the fans and from the media people, because all of the people are liberal leftists anyway. Daniel doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He’s never been the A-side, so he doesn’t know what it’s like to call his shots and wait for the right opportunities. The biggest thing is I’ve got to get healthy.

“I’m not going to rush out there on someone else’s timeline. I’m on my own timeline. The UFC knows that. I’m already a superstar and I’ve made so much money I don’t need to fight ever again. It’s really on my time, and I’ll fight when I’m ready to fight and when I’m healthy. I want big fights. This kid’s a nobody. He just got a split decision over the 12th-ranked kid. I’ve been fighting world champion after world champion for the last seven years straight. So why does this kid deserve to fight me? He’s literally the B-side and thinks he calls the shots and is the A-side. I’m going to get healthy and I’m going to look for the biggest and best fights possible.”

Garry moved on himself. He is scheduled to face Michael Page at UFC 303 on June 29 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

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Colby Covington rips ‘hypocrite’ Sean Strickland for criticizing UFC fighter pay

Colby Covington came to the UFC’s defense when Sean Strickland criticized fighter pay.

[autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] came to the UFC’s defense when [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] criticized fighter pay.

Strickland (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC) advocated for better pay in the UFC, and the starting $10,000 show and $10,000 win purses “criminal.”

UFC fighter pay has been a hot topic for years, but Covington (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) thinks former champion Strickland isn’t in a position to make such remarks after the company financially put him in a much better position.

“My thoughts are, Sean changed his life, so he’s kind of hypocritical to be saying this,” Covington said on SOSCAST w/ Adam Sosnick. “Now he lives in a really nice mansion-style type house, you know, has great cars, and has money in the bank. So who is he to say this?

“He’s literally being a hypocrite too, like, he’s talking about the guys that just started in UFC. He’s talking about the $10,000/$10,000 pay? Yeah, that’s when you get your first fight in UFC. Let’s talk about what he’s making now. He’s making a guaranteed $500,000 to 1.5 million in that range per fight.”

Covington, a former interim champion and multiple-time title challenger, argued that the UFC should only reward fighters if they help them do good business in return.

“As a first time fighter in the UFC, you haven’t made the UFC any business, you haven’t done anything for the company,” Covington said. “So, why do you think you deserve to get handouts and get paid? If you go 0-2 on your first contract, you don’t win any fights, how should you ever deserve to get paid or get healthcare?

“You did nothing for the company. You added no value, and you made the company no money. So, Sean’s in the wrong here again. I don’t know why he’s so mad about the UFC, they made him a million or two.”

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Unfortunate circumstances: 15 unforeseen injuries that ended UFC main events

Injuries are part of the game in MMA, but there’s nothing worse than one ends a marquee UFC fight.

While the term “freak injury” might not be appropriate to use when discussing a sport that is inherently dangerous, 14 UFC main events have ended in unforeseen injuries – broken legs, separated shoulders, eye pokes, etc. – that don’t typically come in the sequence of MMA combat.

Scroll below to see a chronology of UFC main events that ended in that nature.

Note: Injuries sustained on a TKO due to strikes or tapout due to a submission are not included, nor are retirements on the stool due to extended fight damage or exhaustion. Laceration-based stoppages also are not included since they come as an intentional result of the opposition’s attack.