Colby Covington refuses to give up hope of winning the UFC welterweight championship.
Covington (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) revealed that he broke his foot early in his unanimous decision loss to champ Leon Edwards in December at UFC 296, which he said led to his tentative performance. Covington, a former interim champ, fell short in his third undisputed title opportunity but vows to come back stronger once he’s healthy.
“I am the title of this division. I’m the welterweight savior,” Covington told Submission Radio. “I’m the biggest draw in this division. There’s a reason everyone calls my name. Fights are easy to get and dunk on these nerds. I’m king of Miami, I’m America’s champ, the people’s champ, Donald Trump’s favorite fighter. I’m in a title fight every time I fight. Everybody knows that. To get back to that undisputed title, whoever is the biggest and best name that the UFC tells me I have to go through to get there, that is what I’m willing to do. I want that title more than I want to breathe, more than I want to live. I’m in my prime. I’m 35 years young. I haven’t taken any damage in my career. Especially in that last fight, Leon didn’t leave a scratch on my face. There were a couple of tiny little bruises on my leg. Big f*cking deal. I landed double strikes as him.
“I know I’m the welterweight champion. I know I’m the best welterweight on earth. Just because three judges didn’t decide it for me that night, that’s not going to affect my future and how I train and my preparation every day. I work hard, blue-collar American, I’m a 24/7, 365 fighter. I’m not a part-time fighter. So as long as I’m in this thing, and I’m fully invested in my career, I’m going to keep getting better, and I’m going to keep working hard. I’m not halfway in, halfway out. I’m fully in on this, and I want that welterweight title more than I want to live. Whatever it takes to get back there, I’m willing to do. The UFC knows that, so whoever they put in front of me, I promise you the chip on the shoulder of Colby is coming back, and he’s going to finish this and re-write all the wrongs of the past.”
Covington said he broke his foot on the first kick he threw, which landed on Edwards’ elbow. He didn’t have to go under the knife and is targeting a summer return at a marquee event.
“Thankfully it wasn’t displaced, so I didn’t have to get surgery,” Covington said. “There’s no displaced fracture. It’s just a time thing. Eight to 12 weeks of healing and then probably another three to four weeks of getting my footing back and being able to plant off it. … I’ll be back in no time, by summer for sure I’ll be back ready to main event, headline, do the biggest and best business in the UFC.”
