Colby Covington has ignited a new rivalry.
The outspoken welterweight fighter made his presence felt backstage at UFC 314 in Miami this past Saturday when he engaged in a verbal confrontation with Paddy Pimblett. Covington questioned the caliber of Pimblett`s opponents, while Pimblett retorted by pointing to Covington`s recent losses.
Pimblett competed in the UFC 314 co-main event, delivering a dominant performance against Michael Chandler, culminating in a third-round TKO. He now boasts a 7-0 record in the UFC.
Following the event, Pimblett dismissed Covington as “irrelevant” in an interview with ESPN. Covington responded through his YouTube channel, hitting back at Pimblett.
“Paddy started talking trash as I walked by, so I had to confront him,” Covington stated. “I needed to let him know he`s a little `b*tch boy`. The combined losing record of his last three opponents is 13 losses in a row. He acts like he`s important and a star, but he`s a nobody. He`s never headlined a major event, never achieved anything significant, and has never been a top contender. He`s just a scrub.”
Covington continued, “The only reason people pay attention to him is because he looks like Ellen DeGeneres and has a bowl haircut and an English accent. That`s the only reason people even notice him.”
Covington`s calculation about the losing streaks of Pimblett`s recent opponents (Chandler, Tony Ferguson, and King Green) is based on their current records. However, when they faced Pimblett, Chandler was on a two-fight losing streak, Ferguson had lost six in a row, and Green was actually coming off a victory. Nevertheless, Covington`s point is that while Pimblett has fought well-known names, those fighters haven`t been very successful recently.
Interestingly, Covington failed to mention that his own recent victories against Jorge Masvidal, Tyron Woodley, and Robbie Lawler were also against fighters on two-fight losing streaks at the time. Masvidal hasn`t won since 2019, and Woodley since 2018. Covington, a former interim UFC welterweight champion, has lost his last two fights and three of his last four. His last win was against Masvidal in March 2022.
Regardless of the statistics, Covington`s animosity towards Pimblett is clear. If Pimblett decides to move up to the welterweight division (170 pounds) in the future, Covington is ready to face him.
“Paddy Pimblett is a little `b*tch`,” Covington reiterated. “He needs to stop using my name to stay relevant because he hasn`t accomplished anything himself. He`ll never reach a title fight, and he`ll never win a title, period. He’s an irrelevant bum.”
“When he stops cutting so much weight and wants to fight at a real man`s weight class against a real man, he can get beat up. He needs to keep my name out of his mouth, or he’s going to get his ass kicked, that’s a fact.”
