Colby Covington remained uncharacteristically silent ahead of his return to the octagon on September 19. The former UFC interim champion finally spoke out at the UFC Fight Night Covington vs Woodley pre-fight press conference, where he likened his upcoming fight to an ideological battle laced with animosity. He also revealed that the fight against his former sparring partner is not one of the better challenges he has faced.

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‘Chaos’ Covington said, “It ranks up there…It’s a great fight, great animosity. It’s two guys that wanna take each other’s heads off. You got red vs blue, you got me capitalism vs him communism and you got me MAGA versus him maggot.”

The dig in the last line is symbolic of Covington’s brash ‘heel’ persona. However, fans who watched his UFC 245 press conference may have noticed that he remained a tad subdued this time around. This may have been due to the lack of an audience for him to rile. 

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Despite the slight drawback, this concern will not exist in the octagon. The duo hates each other and has been looking for a reason to settle their scores for a while.

Colby Covington says it’s better late than never

Covington and Woodley have been on a collision course for over two years, since ‘Chaos’ held the interim championship and ‘The Chosen One’ held the welterweight championship. 

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The #2 ranked welterweight fighter said, “So this is a heated rivalry, long time in the making and it’s better late than never. It’s up there, but it’s not the best challenge that I’ve had.”

Once more the veiled closing statement highlighted Covington’s mindset of battling a fighter past his prime. He has claimed that Woodley is done and dusted. Hence, a win here will ensure that it is the final nail in the coffin for Woodley’s championship aspirations. 

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Read: Colby Covington Hits Out at Referee Marc Goddard Ahead of Tyron Woodley Fight

If the No.5 ranked fighter loses, it will be his third defeat in succession and he will drop further among the ranked contenders.

What did you make of Colby Covington’s comments ahead of UFC Fight Night: Covington vs Woodley?  

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Reubyn Coutinho

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Reubyn Coutinho is the Head of Fact-Checking Initiatives and Content Quality Lead at EssentiallySports, where he oversees editorial quality across multiple sports verticals. A Communication graduate, he’s spent over five years shaping the site’s evolution from a niche sports blog into an all-in-one news platform, mentoring more than 110 journalists, introducing data-driven article improvements, and developing editorial guidelines for global audiences. Across his career at ES, Reubyn has worked as a writer, editor, and senior editor, covering everything from UFC, WWE, and boxing to F1, NFL, NBA, and tennis. His bylines include exclusive interviews with former UFC champions Demetrious Johnson and Miesha Tate, as well as combat sports stars Marcus Almeida and Sage Northcutt. Known for his meticulous eye, he regularly resolves headline debates, revisits trending pieces using live analytics, and sets the standard for high-quality sports reporting. Outside of sports media, Reubyn is an active film critic, contributing reviews and festival coverage to Netflix Junkie, where he’s covered events such as MAMI, Venice, and NYAFF. Whether he’s breaking down a championship fight or a Hitchcock classic, his work comes with deep research with a pure love for sport.

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