Colby Covington recalls when he was hunted by Brazilians with 'guns and knives and forks' after 'filthy animals' comment
Colby Covington recently recalled a memorable story involving him, Daniel Cormier, and Brazil. While speaking to Daniel Cormier on The DC Check-In, ‘Chaos’ harked back to the time he defeated Demian Maia at UFC Fight Night 119 in Sau Paulo, Brazil, in October 2017. Immediately after the fight, Covington cut a controversial promo in his infamous octagon interview with Cormier.
Unsurprisingly, his statements infuriated Brazilian fans. Daniel Cormier asked Colby Covington whether ‘Chaos’ feels a sense of satisfaction or is worried in such moments. Covington responded by stating:
“Yeah, I feel like, ‘Yeah, I got you.’ They like to dish out all this energy and say these mean things like, ‘you [voce] vai morrer,’ which we know means ‘You will die.’ So, if you want to say these mean things, expect mean things to get said back at you. So, if you want to be a part of the show and play the game, don’t be afraid when you get burned.”
DC also noted that he heard Colby Covington had security guards on his hotel floor after the incident. Covington replied by saying:
“They did. They were loaded like secret service Brazilian guards who had guns and everything. And they were like, ‘Hey, we’ve got to get you out through like, this crazy exit (from the arena) in the bottom. And we’ve got to take you to the hotel early. And you’ve got to wear glasses and cover yourself with a hoodie and a hat.’ Yeah. They were like, ‘You’ve got to go in disguise. We can’t have you out.’ Like, that’s why they wouldn’t let me do a post-fight press conference after the fight because there was like, a bunch of Brazilians surrounded the arena like, with guns and knives and forks…And that’s when I remember my whole team was like, yelling, ‘Man, you put all our lives at risk; not just yourself. Like, they’re going to want to kill us all now.’ So, they were all pi**ed at me.”
Watch Colby Covington’s conversation with Daniel Cormier below:
Colby Covington turned heel in an apparent bid to save his career
At UFC Fight Night 119 in October 2017, Colby Covington cut a professional wrestling-style promo against the country of Brazil. Covington referred to the Brazilian fans as “filthy animals,” which immediately caught the attention of everyone at the venue in Sao Paulo.
Colby Covington continued ranting and demanded a title shot against then-UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. 'Chaos' was ushered out of the public eye immediately after the interview.
According to Joe Rogan, Covington was told he'd be cut from the UFC right before the Maia fight. The brass described him as 'boring' and said they'd let go of him even if he won the bout. In a desperate bid to save his career, Colby Covington decided to embrace the heel persona and turn into one of the company's most polarizing figures.
You can watch the interview below:
Colby Covington eventually captured the interim UFC welterweight title. ‘Chaos’ came up short in his bid to win the undisputed title when he lost to Kamaru Usman via fifth-round TKO at UFC 245 in December 2019.
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Presently, Colby Covington is set to face UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in a highly anticipated rematch at UFC 268 on November 6.