Colby Covington welcomes “easy fight” against “trainwreck” Sean Strickland

Colby Covington welcomes “easy fight” against “trainwreck” Sean Strickland

Colby Covington saw his third attempt at becoming an undisputed UFC champion fall flat at Saturday’s UFC 296.

Many believed ‘Chaos’ was undeservingly given a shot at the welterweight throne as numerous hungry 170lbers were forced to wait on the sidelines. His cardio and pressure-wrestling were considered his main strengths heading into his clash with Leon Edwards but that didn’t stop the champion from putting on a professional performance and retaining his gold.

Before the event, the controversial Sean Strickland attacked Colby Covington with a barrage of insults and Covington has now finally responded to the comments. While attending the post-fight press conference, the NCAA Division I wrestler aired his thoughts about the UFC middleweight champion.

“He’s been running his mouth and nothing he says makes sense. ‘Oh, Colby goes to the cops.’ Bro, you called the cops just a couple of weeks ago, dude, when there was someone at your front door and then you pistol-whipped him in the middle of the street.”

“I think he needs to worry about what he’s got to get through with the justice system first before he even talks about fighting. That guy’s a trainwreck, dude. That guy’s for sure going to do something stupid in the next couple of years and we’re all going to be talking in the media about this and that, about how bad decisions he makes.”

Related: Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis come to blows in UFC 296 crowd

Covington confirmed his interest in a potential fight with Sean Strickland down the line and insisted there’s a reason he couldn’t succeed in the welterweight division.

“Of course, I’d love to shut his mouth, you know. There’s a reason he couldn’t cut it at 170. This is the toughest division in the UFC, everybody knows that. Most people on planet Earth walk around [at] this weight. So, if Sean wants to go, let’s do it, you know. That’s an easy fight for me.”

“That guy does not make very good decisions,” Covington said after hearing of Strickland’s run-in with Dricus du Plessis. “He’s a liability to the company, you know. It’s sad what he’s done. I feel bad that the UFC has to deal with him as the champion. You just don’t know what he’s going to say next or what he’s going to do and whose lives he’s going to put at harm and risk.”