Paulie Malignaggi explains why Colby Covington is one of the most underrated fighters in the UFC
Former boxing ace Paulie Malignaggi has revealed that former interim UFC welterweight champion Colby Covington is his favorite MMA fighter. In a recent interview with Helen Yee, Paulie Malignaggi said he likes watching both Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington fight.
However, the former boxer also added that 'Chaos' is his favorite fighter because of his outspoken nature. Covington doesn't shy away from expressing his opinions and that's exactly why Malignaggi admires him. Paulie also said that he agrees with quite a few of Covington's outrageous statements.
Malignaggi claimed that Colby Covington is an underrated fighter and people often don't give him enough credit for his performances inside the octagon. He believes that Covington's outspoken nature and controversial statements often make people lose sight of the great fighter that he is:
"Usman is a very skilled guy, honestly. But I like Colby Covington, obviously. There are several reasons why I like Covington you know. He's outspoken and he's not afraid to say what he feels is right and a lot of times I agree with him. Covington is also a guy who doesn't get his respect. I think people look at him as a controversial guy but the guy can really really fight," Malignaggi said.
Mike Perry wants a piece of Colby Covington
UFC welterweight Mike Perry wants to fight Colby Covington but not inside the octagon. Perry wants to take on Covington in a boxing match where there is no wrestling involved. Colby Covington recently alleged that Mike Perry hadn’t paid his gym percentage fee and was a negative influence in the MMA Masters gym.
In an interview with The Schmo, Perry responded by refuting Covington's claims and challenging him to a fight:
"It’s just Colby looking for clout ‘cause he gets no attention ‘cause he doesn’t fight. Maybe we can do a Showtime boxing match since I’m not high enough up in the (UFC welterweight) rankings.
"I don’t wanna wrestle anyways. I’m tired of you guys hugging and sh**. So, I’m trying to punch people in the face, and I’m trying to train that way too. I don’t want to do all the wrestling and grappling and sh** like that, even though I’m pretty good at it.”