Colby Covington explains staying in "seven-bedroom mansion" instead of hotel ahead of UFC Tampa event: "All the fighters have big egos"
Colby Covington recently shared his reasoning for staying in a luxurious mansion rather than the usual fighter hotel ahead of the UFC Tampa event. The former interim welterweight champion is gearing up to face Joaquin Buckley in the headliner of UFC's final Fight Night event of the year, taking place this weekend at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
Covington is well-known as one of the UFC’s most outspoken personalities, frequently engaging in heated verbal exchanges with fellow fighters, some of which have even escalated into physical altercations. Aware of the potential for pre-fight clashes, 'Chaos' opted to distance himself from such situations this time around.
During a recent interview with The MMA Guru, Covington revealed that he has chosen to stay in a private mansion throughout fight week to avoid any unwarranted distractions ahead of his showdown with 'New Mansa' on Saturday night:
"We don’t stay in hotels, bro. We get f**king mansions; I don’t need a hotel. I’m not like any other fighter. We’re the main event. So we get our seven-bedroom mansion out here in Tampa, and we’ve just had a good week out here. I stay away from the fighters’ hotel. There’s too much drama that goes on there."
He added:
"All the fighters have big egos, and they love to talk sh*t when they know they’re not going to get locked in a cage. So I don’t want to deal with that; I have the main event to focus on."
Check out Colby Covington's comments below (0:40):
'Chaos' is set to make his long-awaited return to the octagon after a year-long hiatus following his third unsuccessful bid for the 170-pound title at UFC 296 in December 2023. He suffered a unanimous decision defeat to then-champion Leon Edwards.
Colby Covington shares insights ahead of his UFC Tampa showdown with Joaquin Buckley
During a recent interview with the UFC, Colby Covington offered a preview of how he expects his matchup with Joaquin Buckley to unfold at UFC Tampa.
Covington confidently said he is fully prepared to deliver a commanding performance against Buckley and asserted that he presents a unique set of challenges that 'New Mansa' has yet to encounter:
"The fight just looks like me completely breaking him [Buckley], taking him down, taking his will, bringing him to the deep end of the pool and drowning him... He's never been in a five-round fight with an elite fighter like me. He's been fighting some guys that are past their time, but I'm not past my time; I'm in my prime. Saturday, I'm going to drown this guy... I'm going to drown him, and he's not going to be able to hang up with me for 25 minutes.''
Check out Colby Covington's comments below: