UFC fighter Colby Covington has expressed his disdain for fellow fighter Sean Strickland, calling him a “pathetic excuse of a human being” and expressing a desire to fight him, while dismissing the idea of facing former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker.
Colby Covington isn’t exactly a fan of Sean Strickland’s antics.
Covington, also known as “Chaos”, has made a name for himself with his attention-grabbing quotes. Equally, his in-ring accomplishments have been nothing short of impressive. These two factors have put him in line for another shot at the welterweight title. He’s set to challenge Leon Edwards at UFC 296 this Saturday in Las Vegas.
Before the much-anticipated grudge match, Covington had a chat with CODE Sports. They asked him about another fighter known for his carefree attitude, UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland.
Covington’s response? “He’s pretending to be everything he wishes I was,” he said. “I’d love to slap Sean Strickland around. He’s just a pathetic excuse of a human being, the guy has literally no fricking IQ. The guy’s so f****** stupid. The things he says, he needs to get his mouth wired shut and I’m the guy to do it. The UFC knows I’m the one that can end these guys that hate the company and they hate the world, so I would love to fight Sean Strickland.”
Strickland’s reputation precedes him. He’s known for speaking his mind in interviews and on social media, which has occasionally caused some upset. Despite this, his popularity has surged. His rise to fame was marked by a spectacular five-round, title-winning performance against Israel Adesanya at UFC 293. He’s set to defend his title on Jan. 20 at UFC 297 against Dricus Du Plessis.
The middleweight division is teeming with contenders eager to challenge Strickland. It’s uncertain if Covington would be able to bypass them if he defeated Edwards and then immediately moved up. When the idea of facing another contender like former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker was proposed, Covington wasn’t interested.
“No, that ship has sailed,” Covington said. “Robert, he lost the title and then he got beat in a contender fight so he’s just not relevant anymore, he doesn’t make sense for me. I’m the top of the division, I’m about to be welterweight champion of the world, so I only want the biggest and best fights the UFC has to offer and I know they wouldn’t even waste my time and waste their time to try and put that fight together.
“This is a business and they want to make money, so it’s all about making the biggest and best fights for the fans and for the UFC. Whatever the UFC says, they know I’m a yes man, I’m a company man, whatever they say, Colby Covington will agree on.”