UFC News: Matt Hughes finally responds to Colby Covington's offensive comment
What's the story?
Colby Covington's masterclass against Robbie Lawler at UFC on ESPN 5 was overshadowed by his post-fight Octagon interview, in which he took a shot at Matt Hughes.
Hughes issued a statement on Covington's tasteless reference and while he admitted that the former Interim Welterweight Champion could have avoided referencing his train crash, the UFC Hall of Famer accepted that fighters have to possess the thick skin to deal with trash talk in the cut-throat world of MMA.
In case you didn't know...
Covington was in fine form at the recently concluded UFC on ESPN 5 show where he faced the 'Ruthless' Robbie Lawler in the main event. Lawler just couldn't keep up with Covington's relentless pace and diversity as the latter attempted over 500 strikes and 20 takedowns.
Beyond the flair and flashy shenanigans outside the Octagon, Covington proved yet again that he is, indeed, the real deal.
However, he took his effrontery to a different level during his post-fight interview.
The American Top Team fighter first thanked the Trump Family and the troops before taking an audacious dig at Matt Hughes.
Covington said, "Hey, let’s talk about the lesson we learned here tonight. It’s a strong lesson that Robbie should have learned from his good buddy Matt Hughes. You stay off the track when the train is coming through, junior. Don’t matter if it’s the Trump train or the Colby train. Get out the way!”
Covington alluded to the accident Hughes was involved in, in 2017, in which a train collided with his truck close to his house in Montgomery County, Illinois.
Hughes suffered head injuries as a result of the impact and was hospitalized for further treatment. He recovered in a few months and thankfully escaped without any long-term damage.
The heart of the matter
Hughes took to his Instagram account and gave his thoughts on Covington's jibe. He was skeptical about Colby using his train accident as ammunition for trash-talking. However, he gave American Top Team props for the win and was impressed with how the fight panned out.
“Not sure if (@Colby Covington) should have used my accident as fuel for his post-fight trash talk, but that was one heck of a fight. Nice win for (@American Top Team) and (@Robbie Lawler) always puts on a good fight. Reminder though, this is the fighting world. People trash talk and you gotta have thick skin.”
What's next?
Covington will face Kumaru Usman for the UFC Welterweight title at an undisclosed date later this year. It could either take place as the co-main event of 244 or could be booked to be the main event of 245.