The UFC 296 pre-event press conference presented yet another instance of Colby Covington taking severe verbal digs at his opponent. ‘Chaos’ fired multiple deriding verbal shots at his rival, Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards, during the coveted event. Although these tactics have sold his fights pretty well to date, it’s quite apparent that none of his rivals find his words pretty entertaining. Most fans may agree that his feud with Jorge Masvidal, stands as one of the most infamous ones in the history of the sport.
Covington’s derogatory words for Masvidal’s children at the UFC 272 pre-fight press conference had the latter attacking him on 21 March 2022. This also had ‘Chaos’ reporting the entire incident to the cops, which resulted in an arrest and lawsuit for ‘Gamebred’. This incident left the entire UFC community polarized. However, a tweet by the noted UFC icon, Khabib Nurmagomedov, showcased that he stood against Covington in this issue.
‘The Eagle’ is reputed to be one of the most humble fighters in the history of the sport. In his famous post-UFC 229 press meet, he also stated,
“This [MMA] is a respect sport, this is not a trash-talking sport.”
This was probably the reason he didn’t want UFC fighters to accept a fight against someone like Covington. His words supporting this view were revealed in his tweet. It read:
“I think all welterweights should refuse to fight Colby. Just don’t accept fights with him. Let him sit without a fight. It will probably significantly affect him and all fighters who even think of insulting families.”
It’s apparent that Khabib wants to eliminate trash-talking entirely from MMA. But the words in his tweet implied that certain things should be left out of trash-talking. Nurmagomedov also called out Covington for getting the cops involved after getting attacked, even though it was ‘Chaos’ own words that led to the mishap. He wrote:
“If you are stronger than someone inside the octagon, it does not mean that you can insult his children. No one has the right to insult someone’s family. You were attacked by a professional fighter, the same as you are, your own size, and you go press charges against him to the police?”
The comments section of Nurmagomedov’s update showcased varying reactions from the fans. But it was probably the instances from his experience that had Khabib calling out for Covington’s boycott.
Conor McGregor had also gone below the belt like Colby Covington while mocking Khabib Nurmagomedov
The UFC 229 may have been the highest-selling event in the history of the UFC. But, it also turned a large chunk of the UFC community against the UFC icon, Conor McGregor. The buildup to the UFC 229 main event between McGregor and Nurmagomedov showcased ‘Mystic Mac’ going below the belt with several disturbing verbal shots. McGregor didn’t hold back even before insulting Nurmagomedov’s family, religion, or country.
Well, the way in which Nurmagomedov replied to McGregor is a part of MMA history today. But, he didn’t want anyone else to engage in the brash act of jumping over the cage. This is probably why he appealed for a more peaceful solution to Covington’s deriding comments.
