There have been several fighters in the UFC who are top-tier talents, but somehow fail to secure title shots even after amassing impressive records in the promotion. The coach of Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s team, Javier Mendez, recently weighed in on the situation and had an interesting take on the situation. And to make his point clear, he took the status of Colby Covington as an example.

What makes a star in the UFC? Before Javier Mendez answered that, the veteran coach claimed that fighters, who, despite being technically gifted, cannot excite the fans, should not be surprised when they don’t receive a title shot. Earning the fans’ acceptance, according to him, is the most important thing for a UFC fighter. And one of the ways to do that is to either submit or knock out their opponents and not leave it for the judges to decide.

“Don’t complain if they’re not giving you the shot if you are boring to the fans,” Team Khabib’s head coach stated on his YouTube podcast. “To me, you’re a star, you’re a star. It’s whether you finish or don’t finish, you’re a star. So, it just so happens to be that people like people that finish.” However, he claims there are other ways to capture fans’ attention and gain popularity as well, which is by doing something out of the ordinary outside the Octagon.

Javier Mendez brought up Colby Covington, whose controversial trash talk always sets up a fired-up rivalry. Be it against Jorge Masvidal or Leon Edwards, fans were invested in these fights. And although ‘Chaos’ has been on a losing streak of late, with some people claiming that he doesn’t have it in him anymore, he still finds himself in prominent PPV spots and receives a title shot. That’s especially because of his understanding of the “entertainment” aspect of the fight game, much like Conor McGregor.

“So, fans like someone that finishes… but that doesn’t mean that somebody that doesn’t finish as much can’t be a star. Because there might be something outside of what he does, that makes him one,” Javier Mendez further stated. “A perfect example if this guy would have won, Colby Covington, okay? He became big because of what he did outside, his character. So, imagine if he would have won and not finished people, his character is fantastic.”

“If they don’t want to, they shouldn’t cry because it’s entertainment. Entertainment. That’s the keyword… For the fans, they want entertainment. If you’re not giving them that, they’re booing you,” Team Khabib’s head coach further stated.

Javier Mendez claims it’s all about giving people what they want, and the fighter who succeeds at that gets all the big opportunities in the UFC. Colby Covington appears to excel at that by getting on everybody’s nerves. Meanwhile, Javier Mendez isn’t the only one to praise as UFC legend Michael Bisping also once praised ‘Chaos’ for his ability to promote fights.

Michael Bisping praised Colby Covington’s promotional skills

After Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal settled their blood feud at UFC 272, recording a live gate of $6.7 million, Michael Bisping showered praise on ‘Chaos’. More than his win, the welterweight star received praise for how he promoted the fight as his heated exchanges with ‘Gamebred’ made for an interesting rivalry, and fans were all into it. Moreover, Covington also embraces being the villain with relative ease.

“I think he does a great job. I think he really sells it. I think he gets people very, very much interested. He is a heel,” Michael Bisping said in 2022. “I think he brings a lot of excitement. That fight against Usman at Madison Square Garden, I loved every second of that press conference, and that was because of Colby, because of what he brought to the table. It’s the same thing with Jorge, same thing every single time.”

Well, Colby Covington may be a big star, but his ability to get people invested in his fights hasn’t necessarily translated into success inside the Octagon. Despite that, most fans are always looking forward to who he fights next, and even some fans don’t seem to like him, almost everyone wants to see what he has to say every time he gets paired against a new opponent. Are you a Colby Covington fan? Let us know in the comments down below.