Colby Covington stole all the headlines last week when he battered former title challenger Demian Maia in enemy territory.
He is now the third ranked welterweight and has his eyes firmly set on champion Tyron Woodley.
Throughout the build-up of the Maia fight, Covington was not shy to express his feelings towards Sao Paulo, calling it a ‘dump’ and the Brazilian fans ‘filthy animals’.
His comments drew plenty of criticism and Covington insists that he didn’t cross the line. It’s all part of the promotion and he feels that he’s just expressing how he feels.
“I didn’t say anything that was outlandish and I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true,” Covington said. “A lot of things I’m saying are true.”
While many were curious what American Top Team owner Dan Lambert thought of his comments, Covington knows that working with Lambert at Impact Wrestling means that he understands the nature of the game.
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Covington explained. “I went to Dan Lambert the owner of American Top Team, my manager and I’m with him right now working and doing the pro wrestling so there’s nothing wrong with what I’m doing.”
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Covington is currently in Canada as he took part in the Impact Wrestling: Bound for Glory PPV where he made an appearance alongside Dan Lambert and his American Top Team teammates.
His demeanour during his UFC fight build ups has allowed him to feel natural and comfortable on the pro wrestling stage.
“I’ve been enjoying it, it’s so much fun. It’s competing, it’s getting under the bright lights, going out in front of the fans, being entertaining and that’s what I am so I’m really enjoying it.”
As he travels the globe, maximising on his opportunities outside of the cage, Covington is ready for a title shot. While Woodley has been very dismissive of the idea of fighting him, Covington feels he beat Maia in an even more impressive fashion than the champion himself.
“That’s the same Demian Maia that just fought Tyron Woodley, the same Demian Maia that was landing on Tyron Woodley the whole fight and the same Demian Maia that Tyron Woodley landed only 50 something strikes in five rounds.”
“I just put 100 strikes on Demian Maia’s face in three rounds. People can say what they want to say. I’m a man of my word. I went forward, I said before the fight that I was going to move forward and that I was going to make it an exciting fight and that I was going to beat the dog s**t out of Demian Maia.”
Woodley has often mentioned wanting big money fights and with Georges St. Pierre being crowned the new middleweight champion, Woodley likes the idea of a possible mega fight. Covington, not so much.
“I think it’s a complete joke,” Covington said. “He’s not a money fighter; GSP doesn’t want to fight him. Woodley can’t sell PPVs and I’m the only next step for him. I’m number 3 in the world and there are only two guys ahead of me.”
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“He fought Thompson twice, he fought Lawler once, it wasn’t competitive plus Lawler isn’t going to sell a fight. I’m next in line, I just fought the guy he beat last and I beat that guy a lot more convincingly than he beat him.”
Woodley who’s currently healing from a shoulder injury was one of the many fighters who criticised Covington’s performance against Maia, he wasn’t impressed with his striking and felt that he wasn’t worthy of a title shot.
“Now he’s coming with interviews saying oh I can beat Colby with one shoulder,” Covington said. “If he can beat me and I’m so easy then why is he running and ducking me already? He doesn’t want to fight me. If I’m so easy then he should come fight me because either way he’s going to get paid.”
Both Covington and Woodley used to train together at American Top Team in Florida before Woodley started training at the ATT affiliate in Missouri as well as Milwaukee with Duke Roufus. They trained together on multiple occasions and Covington says he’s been getting the better of him.
“The reason he doesn’t want to fight me is because I’ll do the same thing I’ve been doing to him at the gym and I’ll expose him.”
And if they were to fight, Covington is confident that his pressure will be too much for Woodley to handle.
“I see him breaking within three rounds,” Covington said. “I think by the start of the third round he’ll have so much oxygen filled up in his muscles and his lungs would be so heavy with air. He doesn’t have gas, he can’t be fighting that way and that’s why he fights backing up throwing a couple of punches.”
“He’s a joke, he fights easy or he fights soft and he’s scared to fight. He’s not a real fighter so if we get into that octagon, he will break inside 3 rounds, I will make him quit.”
