The curious case of Colby Covington

The pantomime villain takes on friend-turned-rival Jorge Masvidal in a seismic grudge match at UFC 272

Colby Covington specialises in chaos.

He inflicts it upon his opponents and injects it into the very veins that run through the UFC, that bind fighters and coaches.

Covington also specialises in control, however, something that is often overlooked in the analysis of his persona and fighting style.

The relentless pace pushed by the American in the Octagon leaves his opponents with such little time to think, to the extent that contests must feel like constant carnage to them, while Covington himself maintains an impressive composure and almost unrivalled level of cardio to employ his wrestling skills and dictate the action.

As such, Covington has compiled a 16-3 record, won the interim UFC welterweight title and come as close as anyone to dethroning Kamaru Usman – having lost to the reigning champion in two competitive modern classics. In fact, the 34-year-old is seen by many as the best 170lbs fighter in the world behind Usman.

But of even greater intrigue than the way in which Covington uses apparent chaos to control fights is the way in which he utilises that same chaotic energy to control the narrative around his career.

In a story corroborated by his former coach Dan Lambert, Covington detailed how his effective but – at the time – unappreciated fighting style had him on the verge of being dropped by the UFC in 2017. Easier to change than his skillset, however, was the way in which Covington presented himself to audiences.

So, ahead of the final bout on his contract, Covington made the decision to be the bad guy. It started with him calling Brazil a “dump” and its inhabitants “filthy animals” after dominating home favourite Demian Maia in Sao Paulo.

Death threats ensued for Covington, as did a loss of respect and trust from many of his teammates at American Top Team, but so did a shot at the interim welterweight title.

Covington outpointed Rafael dos Anjos in 2018 to become interim welterweight champion (Getty Images)

“Chaos” dominated another Brazilian in Rafael dos Anjos to claim the belt, but behind the scenes his friendship with Jorge Masvidal was fraying.

Long-time training partners and best friends who had shared an apartment as well as dreams of climbing the UFC rankings together, Covington and Masvidal had appeared in each other’s corners throughout the years, helping one another to hone their skills. Covington used his wrestling prowess to enhance the game of Masvidal, who in turn harnessed his striking experience to lift his compatriot’s level.

But Covington’s verbal attack on Brazil, so the story goes, did not sit well with Masvidal, nor did his alleged failure to fully pay a coach in the aftermath of the Dos Anjos fight. Covington argues that he paid what was due, and that an inaccurate report of his earnings from the interim title bout was the reason for Masvidal’s apparently unfair accusation.

By this point, however, it did not matter. Covington had committed to his role as the pantomime villain, a professional wrestling-inspired ‘heel’, and Masvidal’s exception to his former friend’s behaviour led to a feud that saw both men kicked out of American Top Team due to an inability to coexist.

A Brazilian-hating all-American would quickly run out of steam as a character, so Covington built his new, smarmy, abrasive self around a fierce support of then-US president Donald Trump – a “Make America Great Again” cap attached to his head any time he wasn’t running through opponents in the Octagon.

Covington’s support of Trump, however sincere or exaggerated, took the collegiate wrestler all the way to the Oval Office. He received phone calls of support from the Leader of the Free World on fight weeks and tapped into the sizeable segment of MMA fans who also backed Trump.

Ironically, Masvidal is also a Trump supporter and even spoke at one of the 75-year-old’s rallies ahead of the 2020 general election. Still, his backing of the divisive politician did not alienate anti-Trump fans (“nerds and virgins”, as “Chaos” crudely called them) in the same way that Covington’s did.

Many followers of the sport had been won over by Masvidal’s searing run in 2019, in which he fought and won three times amid a stunning career resurgence. The veteran finished Liverpool's Darren Till in London, scored the fastest knockout in UFC history by knocking out Ben Askren with a flying knee within five seconds, then forced a ringside doctor to call time on Masvidal's clash with fellow fan favourite Nate Diaz.

Masvidal’s in-ring appearances seemed to have a greater impact on the anti-Trump brigade than his appearance at the businessman’s campaign rally, and there are many fans that will be rooting for the 37-year-old to triumph in this Saturday’s grudge match with Covington – a fight unlikely to settle the grudge.

Masvidal and Covington will clash in a rare kind of contest: a UFC pay-per-view main event with no championship on the line. That speaks to the magnitude of this bout and how long fans have craved it.

Jorge Masvidal knocked out Ben Askren in a UFC record of five seconds (Getty Images)

Those with a distaste for Covington’s gimmick have identified Masvidal as their Player 1 – a man with even greater hatred towards the former champion than they possess, but also the potential to translate that dislike into damage. Usman handed Covington two of his three losses as a professional, one of the “Nigerian Nightmare”’s wins against “Chaos” coming via a late TKO – leading Covington to expressed outrage at the referee for calling an early stoppage.

What some fans want is to see Covington beaten in a manner that allows no excuse, no comeback. Ironically, they want to see Masvidal knock out Covington in the way that Usman knocked out Masvidal last year. Having been outpointed by the champion on short notice in 2020, Masvidal was starched by the wrestler in 2021, on the wrong end of one of the most devastating punches produced in a UFC title fight.

With Covington and Masvidal both 0-2 against Usman, each man faces a harsh route back to a title shot. Each fighter is an obstacle in the other’s path. It is unlikely that both of them can complete the journey, but the winner at UFC 27 will have the better odds.

Covington’s facade seemed to slip slightly after his most recent bout, his second loss to Usman. At the end of a five-round war, Covington was overheard telling his rival: “You know I’m trying to sell it for you, get you money, bro. It’s all love.”

Covington was surprisingly gracious after his second loss to Kamaru Usman (Getty Images)

That moment, captured by the cameras, offered Covington an opportunity to soften his gimmick.

Instead, the 34-year-old is still hitting out at “nerds and virgins”, and responding to Masvidal’s accusations around debts and loan sharks by deriding his foe’s parenting skills and relationship with his wife.

And that is a prime example of what is so curious about Covington. One can use words like “facade”, “gimmick”, “persona”, “character” and “shtick”. One could even make the case for taking Covington less seriously. By all accounts, he is amiable behind the scenes.

But Covington makes it difficult for fans and media to defend him.

On Saturday, Masvidal will hope his opponent has just as much difficulty defending himself.