Covington Bashes ‘Scared’ Poirier Before Calling Him Out To Grudge Match

Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images

Dustin Poirier may have looked like a world beater in his recent main event win over Dan Hooker at UFC on ESPN 12, but one fighter not impressed with “Diamond” is former teammate Colby Covington.

Poirier, who was coming off a submission loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov back at UFC 242, looked like he’s ready for another shot at gold after dismantling “Hangman” for 25 minutes last weekend in Las Vegas. The victory put “Diamond” back on course for a potential No. 1 contender’s bout his next time out.

Despite Poirier’s effort in what many are considering one of the best fights of 2020, Covington isn’t paying his former American Top Team (ATT) teammate the respect he deserves. Instead, Covington believes that Poirier should have finished Hooker earlier in the fight.

“I didn’t think that that performance was that impressive,” Covington told BJPenn.com. “Let’s be honest. It took you 25 minutes to beat a Hooker? Usually Hookers are in and out within a couple of minutes. The fact that that Hooker lasted that long is a feat in itself. But if Hooker would’ve kept kicking it the second round, Dustin wouldn’t have been standing. The fight would have been over it. It wasn’t really an impressive fight. Hooker’s a former featherweight. He got finished by Edson Barbosa in a minute or two. He’s not really that good of a fighter. I thought he got beat. I thought Dustin got beat. It was a very close fight, but I thought he got beat.”

If you recall, Covington and Poirier haven’t had the best relationship over the past year. Last September, Covington ridiculed “Diamond” for getting emotional during his UFC 242 press conference after Poirier labeled Colby a “sell out” for his feud with Jorge Masvidal. Poirier responded just days later and claimed that it would be “on sight” if he ran into Covington at the gym.

Earlier this year, ATT owner Dan Lambert enacted a zero tolerance trash talk rule to try and limit the bad blood within the gym. Covington, being the brash showman that he is, didn’t stop badgering his teammates and eventually parted ways with ATT. With nothing tying the two fighters together “Chaos” is ready to settle his beef with Poirier inside of the cage.

“Dustin Soyier, he interests me, just because all the shit he talks,” Covington said. “I don’t like it when people go to the media and they say things. When I’ve said everything to you and the media, I’ve meant it, and I’ve backed it up. I say I want to fight someone, I go out there and fight him. Dustin’s out there, saying, ‘It’s on sight next time I see you, Colby.’ If it’s on sight, let’s go do it in front of the world. Let’s go get paid and do it in front of the world. But he knows better than that. He’s just going to stay scared and keep running from me just like his good friend Jorge ‘Street Judas’ Masvidal.”

“Just all the shit he’s talked about ‘on sight‘ and, ‘I want to move up to 170 [pounds],’ and this and that,” Covington added. “Dustin walks around bigger than me. We’ve stepped on the scales. He’s about 185. I’m one low 180s. I just don’t have to cut weight because I’m not scared to fight at my natural weight because I know I’m the best in the world.”

“I would love that grudge match with Dustin,” Covington continued. “He’s one of the main reasons that the relationship with American Top Team went south, because he was always complaining Dan Lambert every day [saying] ‘Colby’s saying mean things to me, Dan. You need to set some laws down and let him know that he can’t speak to me like that.’ I’m sick of his crying and little attitude and that little bullshit comment of ‘it’s on sight.’ Man, it’s on sight. Let’s do this man. Let’s make it on sight then.”

Covington, who saw his seven-fight UFC win streak snapped at the hands of UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman this past December, currently has no fight booked. With the UFC lightweight title being hashed out between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje later this summer maybe the promotion would entertain Poirier stepping up in weight and taking on “Chaos.”

What say you, Maniacs? Is Covington vs. Poirier a matchup you’d want to see?

Let’s hear it!