Colby Covington is not surprised with the outcome of Tyron Woodley’s last fight.
Woodley (19-5-1 MMA, 9-4-1 UFC), the former UFC welterweight champion, is on the first losing streak of his career after dropping a lopsided decision to Gilbert Burns last Saturday in the UFC on ESPN 9 main event.
Covington (15-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) has campaigned to fight Woodley for years, but now he thinks the former champ has no fight left in him.
“I knew that Woodley was washed up. I knew that he was just showing up for a pay check,” Covington told Submission Radio. “You saw that in his last fight with ‘Marty Fakenewsman,’ that there’s no fight left in him. He’s literally just showing up to get pay checks. He was cashed out years ago. I mean, when’s the last time the guy won a round? Three or four years ago? The guy is over the hill.
“He shouldn’t be fighting anymore. But that’s what’s sad about this business, is these guys just have to keep coming and getting these pay checks even when they’re old and in walkers, because they don’t know how to manage money the right way.”
Covington and Woodley came close to fighting each other on numerous occasions, but nothing ever came to fruition. Covington thinks it’s highly unlikely they compete now and has moved on from the idea.
“Yeah, in my opinion, business goes on,” Covington said. “It sucks. I built that fight for three, four years. I was begging to fight that guy on five days’ notice because I know how washed up he is, and he never wanted to fight me. It’s just that plain and simple. Even when he was the champion, and I had the interim title, he was begging to fight lightweights. He was begging to fight anybody but me. And I’m the first guy to scare the champion into elective shoulder surgery. So, the guy’s been scared of me since Day 1.
“We used to train together at American Top Team. So, I think people just found out how much of a man I am of my word. Every time I say something, it’s the truth. And maybe it’s the brutal honest truth, but it’s still the truth. And he ducked me his whole career, and that’s that.”
Covington is confident Woodley would have had a much harder time against him and should consider himself fortunate that the matchup is no longer on the table.
“He can ride off into the sunset and go to his retirement home and just be happy that he doesn’t have to deal with the psychiatric that he would have dealt with if he would have had to fight me,” Covington said. “So, he’s thankful, and he’s lucky. He dodged a bullet.”
Colby Covington piles on Tyron Woodley after loss to Gilbert Burns: Told you he's 'washed up'
