John McCarthy explains why he thinks Colby Covington is "never going to be an exciting fighter"
![Colby Covington [left], John McCarthy [right]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/03/44e95-16466733168465-1920.jpg?w=500)
John McCarthy is not entertained by Colby Covington's fighting style.
Covington ended the bitter rivalry between himself and Jorge Masvidal, at least for now, by securing a dominant unanimous decision victory over 'Gamebred' at UFC 272 this past weekend. Many believe 'Chaos' pulled off a sensational performance, but 'Big John' McCarthy believes there was nothing special about it.
According to McCarthy, Covington can fight, but he doesn't have explosiveness in his arsenal. The former UFC referee also stressed that there was nothing special about the 34-year-old's stand-up game aside from a good chin and ability to come forward.
In a recent episode of the Weighing In podcast, McCarthy said:
“Sometimes when you get these heated rivalries, they just don’t turn out to be the great fights that you want them to be. This wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great. It was based upon Colby being Colby and using his wrestling and Masvidal getting tired. He got tired… Colby Covington is never going to be an exciting fighter. I’m sorry he’s just not exciting. He’s good, I will not take anything away from him but he doesn’t have a ton of punching power. He throws punches at times that you look and you go, ‘That was not good.’ But he’s able to get away with it because he’s got that pressure. And he’s got a good chin. Because he’ll take a shot. He’ll take shots and come back and responds.”
Watch McCarthy assess Covington's game below:
Dana White thinks people should respect Colby Covington
Colby Covington's wild antics have made him one of the most discussed fighters in the sport. What makes 'Chaos' even more interesting is the fact that he can back it up through winning.
Speaking to reporters at his UFC 272 post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White acknowledged Covington's unique persona. For White, some might hate the former welterweight title contender, but they should also respect him for his undeniable resume.
“After awhile, no matter how much you hate him [Covington], you at least got to respect him. The guys keeps winning fights and he’s a tough dude... I don’t know if I’ve had any bad words to say him. I’ve said that he’s an a**hole. He’s an a**hole. Does anyone disagree with that? He would probably agree with that [too].”
Watch the UFC boss' full presser below:
As it stands, Covington wants to take on Dustin Poirier before gunning for a third fight with UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. However, White admitted that he's not sure what lies ahead for 'Chaos'.