UFC star Colby Covington said he failed to fight because he was ‘campaigning for Trump’.
Saturday’s UFC Fight Night didn’t go as Colby Covington had planned.
Already the underdog in his fight against Joaquin Buckley, Covington suffered a brutal cut above his red eye, which led to a lot of blood and a TKO victory for Buckley after a medical stoppage.
Covington took the fight on short notice and was unable to get a full camp before striking out.
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Colby Covington prepares to face Joaquin Buckley in a welterweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at Amalie Arena on December 14, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
“One battle, you know?” Covington said in a video on his YouTube channel. “And I’m not just a fighter, you know? I’m going to let this blow me away. I’m going to get a full training camp. I’m here on short notice. This is for the company. This is for the fans. This wasn’t a full training camp.”
However, he says there is another reason why he lost.
Covington said he is very busy “campaigning” for President-elect Donald Trump, who has been a longtime supporter of his.
“I was campaigning for Trump, you know, preparing for him,” the fighter added. “I wasn’t even in the training room. I came off the couch with two and a half weeks’ notice. It’s a tough ending to go like that. I feel like I’m getting my breath back and I’m going to go out strong, but, you know, it is what it is.”
Colby Covington beats Joaquin Buckley in a welterweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at Amalie Arena on December 14, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
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Covington also said in the video that the country is about to see “four of the biggest years in history.”
“God bless America, God bless the Trumps. We’re going to put a great president back in office. It’s going to be a great four years. I’m so excited. We’re going to have world peace, closed borders, inflation. The money I made tonight is going to go forward, now,” Covington said.
Covington once called Trump his “greatest role model.” Trump has long been a fan of the UFC, attending UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden shortly after winning the election, among many other events in the months leading up to the election.
Colby Covington is seen on stage during the UFC 296 press conference at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on December 14, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
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The fighter wore a MAGA hat during a press conference before UFC 296, with Trump in attendance. Covington said Trump would put the welterweight championship belt on Covington if he won the fight, but Leon Edwards retained his title.
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