"He has to never give up" - Colby Covington reveals how Chael Sonnen inspired him in life 

Colby Covington, the No.2 ranked UFC welterweight, recently spoke to Submission Radio and got candid on a variety of topics. He opened up on the difficulties of his youth and how his situation motivated him to push forward.

He also revealed the inspiration he drew from former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen, who, like Covington, grew up in the state of Oregon.

Covington said:

"I wanted to change my financial future, I wanted to change my family's financial future, I knew I couldn't do that with wrestling. I had to transition into mixed martial arts, and you know, that's when I picked up fighting and I fell in love with it. A guy named Chael Sonnen inspired me and he showed me that a kid from Oregon that has a dream and has a work ethic can go out there and achieve anything he wants in life. He has to work for it, he has to believe it, and he has to never give up, and that's what I was able to do and that's why I'm in this position today."

Check out the interview below:

Chael Sonnen was one of the first fighters to play a character and turn into a 'heel', as you would see in professional wrestling.

In many ways, Colby Covington has adopted the same model and has, in extremely controversial fashion, made his name one of the biggest in the MMA community.

---

Colby Covington to face Leon Edwards at UFC 296

Apart from his penchant for promoting fights, Covington has also showed incredible ability inside the cage.

Despite having fallen short twice against Kamaru Usman, Covington will get his third chance to secure UFC gold at UFC 296, when he faces reigning champion Leon Edwards.

Covington has been out of action since March 2022, when he outpointed arch-rival Jorge Masvidal in the UFC 272 main event.

The fight will cap off the UFC's final pay-per-view card of the year. In the co-main event, Alexandre Pantoja will make the first defense of his flyweight strap as he takes on Brandon Royval.

​