"He can't even train at the PI, so they chuck him across the road" - Dan Hooker says UFC has to "hide" Colby Covington to protect him from other fighters
Colby Covington is one of the most polarizing figures in the UFC. The two-time welterweight title challenger and former interim champion is arguably the biggest "heel" in the promotion. Over the past few years, Covington has called out and thrown shade at a whole slew of fighters, regardless of whether they're in his division or not.
During a recent discussion between Dan Hooker and Alexander Volkanovski on the upcoming Nate Diaz vs. Khamzat Chimaev fight, Covington's name happened to come up. When 'The Great' mentioned that 'Chaos' refers to Khamzat Chimaev by an insulting nickname, 'The Hangman' did not hold back. In an expletive-ridden rant, he said:
"F**k off, he's a f***ing idiot, bro. He's a f***ing idiot and they f***ing hide him. Like, the UFC hide the s**t out of him, bro. They need to, they [other fighters] would slap the s**t out of him. Like, he can't even train at like the PI, so they chuck him across the road."
After revealing that Colby Covington cannot train at the UFC's Performance Institute owing to possible altercations with other fighters, Hooker revealed more information:
"The Apex is like in Vegas. PI's on one side of the road and everyone like trains there and then the Apex is on the other side of the road. He comes in at night at the Apex, goes in the back door to the Apex... he's a little rat, bro. Like, that's p***y s**t. He doesn't stay at like the host hotel, like, he actually goes out of his way to just avoid people..."
Watch the video below:
Dana White says Colby Covington ready to return
'Chaos' was last seen inside the octagon against former roommate and estranged friend Jorge Masvidal. After dominating 'Gamebred' for five rounds with his pace and wrestling, Covington called out another former teammate, Dustin Poirier.
However, not long after his fight against Masvidal, Colby Covington found himself attacked outside a restaurant in Miami by a man believed to be 'Gamebred'. Following the incident, both men have been involved in a legal battle after 'Chaos' pressed charges. The Oregon native has also been fairly quiet on social media during this time.
While addressing the media during the Dana White's Contender Series season 6 week 5 press conference, the UFC president said 'Chaos' is set to return:
"Colby wants to fight. Colby wants to fight, he's ready to fight and we're making plans for him here soon."
Watch the clip below:
Colby Covington "wants to fight, is ready to fight and we're making plans for him here soon," says Dana White.
#DWCS | Full interview: bit.ly/3pDsKkv https://t.co/tFKmVbdZcJ
Many have claimed that Colby Covington should fight Khamzat Chimaev, who looks like he could be next in line for the title. Considering Kamaru Usman will likely get an immediate trilogy against current champion Leon Edwards, fans will keep their fingers crossed and hope to see Covington vs. Chimaev in the coming months.