Colby Covington has taken aim at former teammate Dustin Poirier and made some massive accusations about his charity work — Find out what the former interim welterweight champion had to say and much more on today's Fightful Fix.
Colby Covington slams Dustin Poirier & Conor McGregor
Colby Covington has taken aim at the headliners of UFC 264 with Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor coming into his radar. Covington has previous beef with "The Diamond" and is a former teammate of his at American Top Team. Poirier had previously said that he would fight "Chaos" on sight but Covington has taken new digs at Poirier and his charity work.
“Dustin Soirier (Poirier), he’s terrible, he’s garbage. I used to train with him, the guys a complete bum. I mean, he’s funny because he’s talking all this talk, it’s on sight when I see Colby. No, it’s not on sight, bitch, you know who your daddy is,” Colby Covington said to James Lynch. “Oh yeah, and talking about Dustin, I thought that fight should’ve gotten canceled, man. Con man McGregor called out Dustin for the truth, he’s using his charity to make money for himself, it’s a tax write-off.
“He’s not actually using that money for kids, he knows Conor McGregor knows Dustin Soirier is literally a Con man,” Covington continued (h/t BJPenn.com). “He’s conning the people with this so-called charity, Good Fight Foundation. Dude, guys the fakest guy in the world. I wish people really knew who Dustin Soirier was not just who they portray him as in the media.”
And Covington wasn't done there with "The Notorious" and in a recent interview said the Irishman won't be seen at welterweight anytime soon.
“I haven’t seen it, but I’ve heard about it and that’s obviously just Conor trying to get some hype, get some headlines,” Covington told MMA Fighting. “Come on, dude, the guy just got knocked out by ‘Dustin Soyrier.’ Come on, are you serious? You want a title shot at 170? You’re getting beat up by gatekeeper lightweights and now you want to come to the top of the 170 welterweight division? Everybody knows what Conor’s doing. He’s not really gonna do that. He’s not gonna come up and fight welterweight.
“He’s just doing that to grab attention, to grab headlines, make people think he’s being taken seriously because honestly, he’s a joke. He’s the laughingstock in the MMA community and even to casual fans because they’re just like, ‘Conor’s washed up. He’s done.’ He made all that money with his whiskey, he made all that money for the Mayweather fight, he has no motivation. Nothing gets him up early in the morning to go fight. He tries to say it’s for his kids but man, the guy’s done. He has nothing left in the tank.”
Anthony Johnson 'had so much frustration' over Yoel Romero's withdrawal from Bellator 258
Anthony Johnson admits Yoel Romero’s late withdrawal from their fight did catch him off guard but all eyes now are on his Bellator debut. Johnson and Romero were meant to conclude the opening round of the Bellator light heavyweight Grand Prix on Friday in a matchup of powerhouses that had the sport on the edge of its seat. But Romero was forced to pull out due to a failed medical exam stemming from an eye issue. "Rumble" will now face Jose Augusto at Bellator 258.
“Frustration, man – I had so much frustration for a day, a day-and-a-half,” Johnson told MMA Junkie. “When you got your heart and mind set on something and it doesn’t happen, it can break you. It didn’t break me. It just frustrated me. But that’s in the past. I can’t think about Yoel anymore. I’ve got to focus on Jose.
“Jose’s a monster. I went from a monster that’s older to a monster that’s younger, so it’s not getting any easier for me. But my hat goes off to Jose (for stepping up).”
Amanda Nunes wants featherweight division open ‘as long as I’m champion’
Amanda Nunes has dismissed suggestions that the featherweight division could be shut down. Nunes defeated Megan Anderson at UFC 259 and seemed to have wiped out the division. The featherweight division doesn't have any official rankings and some had suggested that Dana White could end it. But "The Lioness" has said that as long as she is champion the division will remain.
“[UFC President] Dana [White] wants to end this division, but I told him that as long as I’m champion, I want it open,” Nunes told Combate (h/t MMA Fighting). “I think the issue with the featherweight [division] is talent. I think it’s hard to find talented girls in this division. I could be wrong, but we’re seeing that the girls that fought Cris [‘Cyborg’ Justino] needed a little bit more. Not that they are bad athletes, but they needed some work.”
Chris Weidman details instant reaction to horrific UFC 261 injury
Chris Weidman has opened up about his reaction to his gruesome leg injury vs. Uriah Hall at UFC 261. Weidman broke his leg with one of the first strikes of the contest when hall checked his kick. Weidman then planted his foot afterward, it completely folded (officially a compound fracture), sending him down to the canvas in pain – but also disbelief.
“When I was face down, I think that immediately popped into my head. ‘Is this a bad dream? How is that possible?’ It all processed like I was a normal person from the outside looking in. Like, ‘Bro, I was part of Anderson Silva. This happened to Anderson Silva. And this happens to me? What is God telling me right now? There has to be a silver lining here.’ And that was the other thing I was really focused on when I hit the deck: ‘There has to be a reason for this," Weidman said in an interview with ESPN. "Something good has to come out of this, otherwise, I just don’t understand why this is happening to me.’ What (are) the chances? You watch guys kick all night long, and they might’ve kicked in that same exact spot with similar effort and legs aren’t snapping. Why did that happen to me? There are three leg breaks in the history of the UFC, and I’m part of two of them. Do I get something for that?”
Gordon Ryan has no regrets for viral slaps of Andre Galvao
Gordon Ryan has shown little remorse for the video that emerged of him slapping Andre Galvao. During a recent appearance on What the Heck, Ryan was asked if the video of him slapping Galvao going viral made him regret his decision, but Ryan said if he could go back in time, he would do the exact same thing all over again.
“I think it was an appropriate response,” Ryan stated to MMA Fighting. “It was just enough to send a clear message that you can’t just bully me around, but it wasn’t enough to seriously injure him, which I didn’t want to do unless he wanted to actually fight me. It was a clear message, just like the internet, if you start with me, I’m gonna retaliate. If you walk up to me in person and try to fight me then we can fight.
“Everyone is like, ‘Gordon only talks online but he’s nice in person,’ and I am. But if you’re serious and you want to fight me then we’ll just fight. That’s the next step. It’s not that big of a deal. We fight, we shake hands, and we go home.”
Alex Morono eyes third-round KO of Donald Cerrone, says a win will be “bittersweet” for him
Alex Morono is torn going into his late-notice showdown with UFC legend Donald Cerrone. Cerrone has more fights behind him than in front of him and Morono knows that a win could signal the end of "Cowboy" in the UFC. Morono understands he can’t be giving Cerrone too much respect when they are fighting but is torn over the potential outcome of a win.
“It would be bittersweet. It is an after-the-fight thought, as I can’t give him so much respect before the fight. I’m surprised he took the fight with me. But, as a fan, I would be sad seeing Cerrone no longer in the UFC,” Morono told BJPenn.com.
Aleksandar Rakic calls for No. 1 contender fight vs. Jiri Prochazka
Aleksandar Rakic wants the chance to derail the hype of Jiri Prochazka. Prochazka gained plenty of momentum from his sensational KO of Dominick Reyes at UFC Vegas 25 via a spinning elbow. With light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz’s next title defense against Glover Teixeira taking place at UFC 266 in September, Rakic would love to face Prochazka on the same card.
“If the UFC want to do it with me and Jiri in September on the same card as Jan and Glover, that would be great for the division,” Rakic said to MMA Junkie. “It’s up to the UFC what they want. It’s a lot of hype around Jiri, and I understand this. He did a very good job, but someone needs to stop the hype.”
Tatiana Suarez eyes UFC return at flyweight, discusses matching up with Valentina Shevchenko
Tatiana Suarez hopes to return this year but will be making her debut at flyweight. Suarez hasn't fought in the Octagon since defeating Nina Ansaroff at UFC 238. Suarez doesn't have any issues making strawweight's 115lb limit and has never missed weight. Suarez cites that a lack of energy during the weight cut is the biggest reason for the jump-up.
“I want to see how I feel at 125,” Suarez said on “The 1, 2 Podcast with Kendrick and James.” “I’ve never missed weight, not even come close to missing weight. I’ve never had problems making weight … but come fight day, a lot of times I feel tired, and I feel not very strong. I don’t think I cut that much weight because at the start of my camp, I start at 130 and then I get down to 126 and then I cut from there. I don’t think that’s abnormal for a strawweight.
“But I still think somewhere in that I lose strength, and my cardio doesn’t feel as good. When I’m at practice, I never feel tired, I never feel weak, so I’m like, maybe it’s my weight cut.”
Though she has every intention of climbing the ranks and proving herself at 125 pounds, Suarez likes her chances against dominant champion Valentina Shevchenko. When asked how she would match up against “Bullet,” Suarez said her wrestling will be key.
“I think my grappling, in general, is definitely better than Jessica (Andrade’s) because everybody was like Jessica would have the upper hand, and I didn’t think that at all,” Suarez said. “I just think that Jessica is strong. I don’t think that Jessica is technically the best grappler at 125. I would never say that.
“I just think she’s very powerful and strong, and I truly believe that my grappling is way beyond hers in terms of technique. So if I fought Valentina, I don’t think she would be able to impose the same game that she did with Andrade.”
After Kyoji Horiguchi fight fizzled, Juan Archuleta explains why Sergio Pettis was the next best thing
Juan Archuleta admits that a fight with Kyoji Horiguchi is what he wants next should he get past Sergio Pettis at Bellator 258. Archuleta has wanted a fight with former Bellator champion and current RIZIN champion Horiguchi, and according to Archuleta, the wish almost became a reality during Bellator’s three-month hiatus at the beginning of 2021.
“We were supposed to fight on New Year’s and then it got pushed back to March, and then finally, Scott Coker was like, ‘We’re going with Pettis.’ I was like, ‘Let’s do it. I need a fight.’ They kept playing games. So who knows what’s going on with them in reality.”
It might not have happened yet, but Archuleta isn’t willing to give up on the matchup.
“Hopefully, that’s our next fight,” Archuleta said to MMA Junkie. “We’re still pushing for the fight, granted I do my job Friday night.”
Pettis understands that he is there to spoil Archuleta's party and believes that should he defeat the champ, he will be in the conversation for the best bantamweight in the world.
“I feel like I was proving myself over there in the UFC as well, I believe,” Pettis said to MMA Junkie. “Especially fighting Juan Archuleta, man. You know if you put him in any promotion he’s going to do well. It doesn’t matter the name of the promotion. We’re seeing that. The PFL, the UFC, RIZIN, ONE (Championship) – every promotion has their top guys. Those guys can compete in any promotion. It’s just a matter of when they do. I believe I will be one of the best bantamweights in the world if I do beat Juan Archuleta.”
UFC 261 medical suspensions
Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman is one of six fighters facing lengthy medical suspensions after UFC 261. The FSBC released the suspension lengths but did not provide details on the nature of the suspensions, citing medical privacy, but MMA Fighting obtained some details on several of them. Generally, full-suspension terms apply only if an injury is not cleared by a relevant doctor, though Weidman’s timetable for return remains unknown in the wake of the serious injury.
Jorge Masvidal – 60 days
Zhang Weili – 60 days
Valentina Shevchenko – 180 days
Jessica Andrade – 30 days
Chris Weidman – 180 days, needs orthopedic clearance
Jim Crute - 180 days, needs orthopedic clearance
Brendan Allen – 30 days
Karl Roberson – negative MRI required or 180 days
Pat Sabatini X-Ray or MRI clearance required for right thumb or suspended 180 days
Kevin Natividad – 45 days
Kazula Vargas – 180 days
Zhu Rong – 30 days
Liang Na – 45 days
Jeffrey Molina - 14 days
Qileng Aori – 60 days, CT scan required for head and face
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