5 UFC fighters who have personal beef with Colby Covington
There’s trash talk in MMA, then there’s Colby Covington. The fighter known as Chaos certainly knows how to create issues with his fellow UFC fighters. Whether it’s potential opponents, former teammates or the UFC president, Covington is not afraid to run his mouth.
The number one ranked UFC welterweight is seemingly feuding with everyone in MMA. Let’s take a look at 5 UFC fighters who have a personal beef with Colby Covington.
#5 Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Former UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk is no fan of Colby Covington’s. She was vocal in her opposition to Colby talking trash about their fellow American Top Team fighters Jorge Masvidal and Dustin Poirier.
Covington held nothing back in his response to the Polish fighter.
On the MMA Fighting’s Eurobash podcast Covington said:
"Last week she tried to flirt with me, and I wasn’t giving her the time of day because, I have standards. So, she got her feelings a little hurt. The raw American steel and twisted sex appeal of Colby Covington didn’t want to take her on a date, because I’m too busy getting dimes and supermodels to waste my time on some ugly boobie-woman from Poland or whatever.”
Covington eventually left ATT in May 2020, which no doubt pleased Jedrzejczyk. However, like most of Colby’s feuds, this one will probably never be settled.
#4 Tyron Woodley
One of Covington’s most heated rivalries is with former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. It all started back in 2014 when Covington was a training partner of Woodley’s.
Covington described his relationship with Woodley to ESPN:
"I could tell that the first day after training. He wasn't bringing me in as a teammate. He was trying to tee off on me. He was trying to look good and build his confidence off of me. I wasn't going to let that happen. I'm not here to be a sparring partner. I'm here to win my own world title and to be the best fighter in the world. I've always hated the guy, since that training."
In an Instagram video from 2018, Woodley said of Covington:
"Colby used to be my warm-up guy. I hate to break the news to you, but I used to pay him to beat him up. Five hundred bucks a week, plus food, plus hotel, plus rental car, plus gun range, plus entertainment, plus personal trainers, pad work, massage therapy, yoga. I spoiled him, now all of a sudden he's bumping his gums."
Once Woodley became the welterweight champion, Covington started chirping at his former training partner. It seemed like they were destined to face each other in the octagon for the UFC title.
However, Kamaru Usman was given the shot before Covington and the rest is history.
The two bitter rivals finally met in the octagon at UFC Fight Night on September 19, 2020. There was plenty of trash talk in the lead-up to the fight. Woodley even had Colby’s former friend turned enemy Jorge Masvidal train with him.
Covington had the last laugh though, dominating the former champ inside the cage and winning via TKO in the fifth round.
#3 Polyana Viana
Brazilian UFC strawweight Polyana Viana found herself embroiled in another Colby Covington scandal. The outspoken welterweight fighter posted a photo of the two on his Instagram that seemed to imply that they were dating.
In typical Colby style, he had to take it to another level. In an interview with Submission Radio he said:
“There wasn’t much talks [for the Edwards fight]. I was b**** deep in Polyana Viana, so to get me off the couch on three weeks’ notice to fight some Leon guy, it was going to be a price tag."
Viana was quick to dismiss Covington’s story. She took to Twitter to get her version of events out there. Viana said:
"I have never given room for any kind of comment or judgment about my personal life, but it is not for me to judge the person’s attitude. I feel sorry for those who act so low to try to promote themselves. It is revolting.”
Covington needs to be careful with his words about Viana. She grabbed worldwide headlines when she beat up an armed robber in Brazil in 2019.
#2 Kamaru Usman
MMA feuds rarely live up to fans’ expectations inside the octagon. But the title fight between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington at UFC 245 most definitely did.
After Usman won the UFC welterweight title from Tyron Woodley, Covington shifted his trash talk towards the Nigerian Nightmare.
The pair even had an altercation the morning after Usman won the championship.
The two finally fought at UFC 245, in one of the greatest welterweight title fights in UFC history. Usman stopped Covington in the fifth round.
The result has not stopped Covington from seeking a rematch and continuing his feud with the champion. Usman hilariously has his own troll game going as he hits like on Colby’s sister’s Instagram posts.
It seems inevitable that the two will face each other again in the octagon.
#1 Jorge Masvidal
Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington were once as thick as thieves. The two were roommates, friends and training partners at American Top Team. Today, the two are bitter rivals engaged in one of the most heated rivalries in the UFC.
So, what happened?
As Gamebred Masvidal tells it, it all started after Covington didn’t pay one of his coaches. On the Dan LeBatard show in September 2019 he said:
“He ripped off my coach, that was his coach. We were with him until his title fight. After he won the title, he owed him a certain amount of money, didn’t pay him. I said if you don’t pay him I’m going to f—k you up. My coach got in between it, it doesn’t have to be like this, let it slide, since thing I ain’t talked to the dude."
Over the past couple of years, the feud has only continued to boil. Covington has repeatedly claimed that Masvidal is ducking him and is scared to fight him in the octagon.
The spectacular late-career rise of Gamebred can only frustrate Colby more. It seems that Jorge holds all the cards when it comes to the potential future matchup. If Street Jesus can beat Kamaru Usman at UFC 261, then Colby may be waiting on the sidelines for the foreseeable future.
Covington will no doubt continue to troll Masvidal, as he recently did by posting a photo on Instagram with Jorge's ex-partner and possibly wife.