A few UFC sponsors addressed the racist and incendiary remarks Colby Covington made about Tyron Woodley and Black Lives Matter.
Former UFC interim welterweight champion Covington defeated former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in the main event of UFC Vegas 11. Following the fight, Covington would call the BLM movement a joke and a sham, while also calling members of the movement domestic terrorists and criminals.
“The Black Lives Matter is a complete sham. It’s a joke," Covington said (via Tim Bissell of Bloody Elbow). They’re taking these people that are complete terrorists. They’re taking these people that that are criminals. These aren’t people that are hardworking Americans, blue-collar Americans. These are bad people. They’re criminals. They shouldn’t be attacking police. If you’re breaking the law and you’re threatening the cops with weapons, you deserve to get what you get. Law enforcement protects us all. If we don’t have law enforcement, it’d be the wild wild west. [Woodley]’s a communist. He’s a Marxist. He stands for criminals. He hates America, and that’s why he got broke tonight."
Bloody Elbow would reach out to several of the UFC’s sponsors to get their thoughts on what Covington said, with the site hearing back from Reebok, Monster Energy and DoorDash.
Reebok
“Reebok is the uniform provider for the UFC, however we do not sponsor Colby Covington. We do not agree with the sentiments he expressed, and stand firm in our belief that Black lives matter. We stand with athletes and communities who are fighting for change.”
Monster Energy
“Monster Energy will not respond on the comments of a Non-Sponsored Athlete. We stand by the statements on our website regarding Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion.”
DoorDash
“DoorDash stands with our employees and community members to fight injustice, inequality and discrimination, and we remain committed to using our voice and platform to empower local economies to support equality.”
UFC President Dana White said he and the promotion supported free speech when it comes to the fighters, but it seems like some of the promotion’s sponsors do not agree with what Covington said.
Fightful has all of your MMA needs covered. Follow us on Twitter for updates, and subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive interviews, lists, news updates and predictions.
