Despite their bitter feud that clouded a better part of their careers as UFC fighters and their shared past as teammates at American Top Team (ATT), Colby Covington and Dustin Poirier never traded blows inside the cage since both were in different weight classes. Any possibility of a fight has become increasingly distant after both parted ways with the promotion.

What seems to have survived, though, is their animosity towards each other. Colby Covington’s comments during the media day of RAF 11, which unfolds at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, tonight, illustrate that point. Dustin Poirier‘s recent arrest in Atlanta for a misdemeanor public intoxication charge became fresh ammunition for Covington to hurl potshots at his former teammate-turned-rival.

“You know, I’m drinking this great RAB Zero,” Covington said as he assessed his upcoming opponent, UFC’s top-ranked lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan. “I hope that you’ll recommend this to Dustin. We saw that incident in the airport where he was calling the cop, you know, a ni—r and calling the woman a ho- and this and that. Bro, I hope you recommend RAB Zero to him, bro. He’ll change his life.”

Playing down the Armenian-Russian fighter’s prospects for tonight’s clash, Covington slammed him for never working hard in his life and said that he received everything on a platter before abruptly shifting his attention to Poirier.

Though his beef with Poirier is now almost a decade old, the recent developments that caught Poirier at an emotional low, during which he spoke in detail about his struggles with alcoholism while dealing with depression, following the Georgia arrest, saw Covington taunt the Louisiana native online.

As reports of Poirier’s incident gained traction, footage showed Covington holding a can of RAB Zero and sarcastically saying, “I want to take a moment and have a toast to ‘Father of the Year’ Dustin Poirier. Nothing says ‘role model and family man’ like being arrested for public intoxication at 37 years old at 6:38PM on Father’s Day. Cheers to you, Dustin. Next time try an ice-cold Real American Beer (RAB) Zero. Same amazing taste as RAB Light, with zero alcohol. It’s great for people who want to be social and not get black-out drunk and act like Louisiana swamp trash.”

Weeks later, Covington unloaded on his former ATT teammate when he offered a scathing critique after Conor McGregor’s comeback fight against Max Holloway at UFC 329 ended in disappointment. Calling him a “dirtbag,” Poirier, who inflicted back-to-back losses on McGregor back in 2021 that led to his five-year layoff, criticized the former two-division champion and taunted that he would likely beat him up if they met again.

To Covington, however, those comments reflected a poor side of Poirier’s character. Using his now-familiar insults, “soy boy” and “Louisiana swamp trash,” for Poirier, the Californian insisted that he was not going to slam a fighter like McGregor, particularly when he was going through tough times. According to Covington, Poirier is the “biggest fake nice guy” he has ever seen in his life.

The roots of the feud between Covington and Poirier trace back eight or nine years, when the pair trained together at Florida-based ATT.

Colby Covington vs. Dustin Poirier: The fight that never happened, the feud that never ended

While reports of a major ego clash developing between the two had already surfaced, things first took a turn when Covington sided with Khabib Nurmagomedov ahead of the Dagestani phenom’s title fight against Poirier.

The UFC interim lightweight champion seemingly took that stance personally. Later events suggest the gym reportedly told Covington to leave as the friction between them grew.

Subsequent years saw the tension escalate after Covington repeatedly called out Poirier for a fight. The most notable development took place inside the cage after Covington secured a dominant win over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272, challenging Poirier to “name the site” for their showdown.

Their differences even spilled outside the cage when they allegedly crossed paths at a Miami steakhouse. According to Covington, Poirier walked away after he confronted him, a claim the latter vehemently rejected, saying that it was a blatant lie.

Covington’s decision to pivot away from discussing his wrestling opponent while still finding time to criticize Poirier shows how deeply their feud has evolved.

Covington also has a history of getting on the nerves of his rivals by speaking about their personal lives. The most prominent example came ahead of his fight for the welterweight title against Leon Edwards at UFC 296, when he touched a raw nerve by speaking about the English fighter’s late father, who was reportedly killed in a London nightclub when Edwards was just 13 years old.

Even in the latest instance, besides Dustin Poirier, Covington also insulted Belal Muhammad.

Despite enjoying a successful run as a professional freestyle wrestler, Covington could be at the final stretch of his career. Given those circumstances, is continuing to hurl personal attacks at rivals, particularly when they are at their most vulnerable, still the right approach? That is a question many fans will increasingly ask.