Colby Covington has once again hit out at his former American Top Team teammate Dustin Poirier, following his five-round battle against Dan Hooker at UFC Vegas 4, which is already being considered as a fight of the year contender.
Poirier looked impressive and was able to win the fight via unanimous decision. The hard fought win over the always game Hooker, has put Poirier back in title contention. However, his performance wasn’t enough to impress Covington.
Speaking to BJPenn.com (transcribed by MMA Mania), ‘Chaos’ criticised both Poirier and Hooker’s performance this past weekend.
“I didn’t think that that performance was that impressive,” Covington said. “Let’s be honest. It took you 25 minutes to beat a Hooker? Usually, Hookers are in and out within a couple of minutes. The fact that Hooker lasted that long is a feat in itself. But if Hooker would’ve kept kicking it the second round, Dustin wouldn’t have been standing. The fight would have been over it. It wasn’t really an impressive fight. Hooker’s a former featherweight. He got finished by Edson Barbosa in a minute or two. He’s not really that good of a fighter. I thought he got beat. I thought Dustin got beat. It was a very close fight, but I thought he got beat.”
Not finished with Poirier, Covington went on to say that he was a large part of the reason why he split with American Top Team, and stated that he wants to settle their beef inside the Octagon.
“Dustin Soyier, he interests me, just because all the s*** he talks,” Covington said. “I don’t like it when people go to the media and they say things. When I’ve said everything to you and the media, I’ve meant it, and I’ve backed it up. I say I want to fight someone, I go out there and fight him. Dustin’s out there, saying, ‘It’s on sight next time I see you, Colby.’ If it’s on sight, let’s go do it in front of the world. Let’s go get paid and do it in front of the world. But he knows better than that. He’s just going to stay scared and keep running from me just like his good friend Jorge ‘Street Judas’ Masvidal.
“Just all the s*** he’s talked about ‘on sight‘ and, ‘I want to move up to 170 [pounds],’ and this and that. Dustin walks around bigger than me. We’ve stepped on the scales. He’s about 185. I’m in the low 180s. I just don’t have to cut weight because I’m not scared to fight at my natural weight because I know I’m the best in the world.”
“I would love that grudge match with Dustin,” Covington continued. “He’s one of the main reasons that the relationship with American Top Team went south, because he was always complaining Dan Lambert every day [saying] ‘Colby’s saying mean things to me, Dan. You need to set some laws down and let him know that he can’t speak to me like that.’ I’m sick of his crying and little attitude and that little bullshit comment of ‘it’s on sight.’ Man, it’s on sight. Let’s do this man. Let’s make it on sight then.”
Opening up more on his split with his former team ATT, Covington said that even though he still respects Dan Lambert, he believes that the owner crossed the line by imposing restrictions on his words (transcribed by TheMacLife).
“My brand was being held back being at American Top Team,” Covington said. “I have nothing but respect for Dan Lambert. The guy’s been nothing but a mentor and a good friend, but you cross the line when you try and tell me what I can and cannot do in the professional fighting business.
“We’re getting locked in an Octagon to kill each other, take each other’s brain cells, send each other to the morgue, and you’re worried about some words that I might be saying? It sounds a little petty and a little childish, and I didn’t have time for that anymore. I got big business to take care of.
“That was completely the ending of our relationship as a team and being a part of that team anymore. You’re not going to tell me what I can and cannot do. Your team’s name is American Top Team. Just think about that for a second, American Top Team. What are our constitutional rights in America? Do we not have freedom of speech?”
For Covington, the idea of restricting someone to speak freely in such an extreme sport doesn’t make much sense. But he also claims that he understand’s Dan’s situation and the decisions that he made.
“It’s not fair to try and take someone’s voice away and their platform and try and tell them what they can and cannot do, especially in the fighting business. It’s already an ugly business as it is. Then to be mad about some words when we’re getting locked in a cage to kill each other in our underwear on Saturday nights, it’s just a little pathetic, and it’s not right, but I have no ill will towards it. I think Dan had to do what he had to do, and he felt that it was right to implement that policy for the team.”
Would you like to see Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal settle their beef inside the Octagon?
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