Getty Colby Covington reacts to the crowd after a fight against Dong Hyun Kim in 2017.
No. 1-ranked UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington made his ex-teammate cry several times, “Chaos” claimed in a recent interview.
Speaking with MMA News’ James Lynch, Covington took aim at former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier. The two used to train together at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida. And according to Covington, he would “smack” Poirier around in sparring to the point where “The Diamond” would exit the gym in tears.
There’s been a lot of talking in the MMA community about the UFC potentially pairing up Covington and Poirier for a 170-pound clash. But for Covington, he won’t lose sleep if he never fights Poirier in a sanctioned MMA match.
GettyDustin Poirier punches Conor McGregor during their UFC 257 bout on January 23.
“I used to smack him around so many times in sparring back in the day,” Covington said via BJPenn.com. “I mean, for years, smacking him. He’d literally leave the gym crying. He’d go to Make Brown, just crying, ‘I can’t beat him, why’s his cardio so good, why does he just keep punching me in the face, I can’t do it.’”
“I’ve had him literally leaving the gym more time than I can count on both hands,” Chaos continued. “So I’ve already embarrassed him. He knows who daddy is. He knows who the real champ is. He knows who’s better. I wouldn’t care (if I never get to fight Poirier in the Octagon).”
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Both Poirier & Covington Are Coming Off of Losses to a UFC Champion
Covington and The Diamon vyed for UFC gold in their last outings. And they both came up short.
First, Chaos competed against 170-pound king Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC 268 in November 2021. It was the second time the two had clashed, with “The Nigerian Nightmare’ finishing Covington in their first outing back in 2019 via fifth-round TKO.
The match went all five rounds this time around, however the winner remained the same. Usman retained his welterweight belt with a unanimous decision nod from the judges. It was a tit-for-tat war, however, and Covington’s stock hasn’t dropped much with the loss. He is still ranked as the division’s No. 1 contender.
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Poirier Lost Out on Undisputed Gold Last Month
On the other end, Poirier fought for the lightweight belt against champion Charles Oliveira during the UFC 269 main event in December 2021. Although he had a strong first round, Poirier was controlled on the ground for nearly the entirety of the second frame before being submitted via rear-naked choke in the third round.
It’s the second time Poirier has come up short fighting for undisputed UFC gold. He was also defeated by then-lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2019 when The Diamond held the interim belt.
The Diamond is ranked No. 2 in the 155-pound division.
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Colby Covington Says He Made UFC Star ‘Leave the Gym Crying’