Love him or hate him, Colby “Chaos” Covington is one hell of a guy who has proven himself a master at commanding attention. He keeps the fighting scene a show by antagonizing entire nations, wearing a “MAGA” hat, or choking out rappers on livestreams — and that’s not even the end of the list.
Now, as the welterweight prepares to fight Joaquin “New Mansa” Buckley on December 14th, the world’s getting excited: Covington aims to set his role as one of the sport’s most controversial figures, while Buckley stands as the division’s rising star with a five-fight win streak, determined to take down one of MMA’s most talked-about names for his sixth.
Wrestling Into The UFC
Colby Covington, born on February 22nd, 1988, in Clovis, California, relocated with his family to Oregon at the age of eight. His father, a former wrestler at the Oregon Institute of Technology and Southern Oregon University, influenced Colby’s early interest in wrestling.
At Thurston High School in Springfield, Oregon, Covington rose as a wrestler, lettering all four years and clinching the 171-pound state championship in 2006, his senior year. Despite an initial commitment to Arizona State University, academic challenges led him to enroll at Iowa Central Community College. There, he achieved a flawless 34–0 record and secured the 165-pound national junior college wrestling title as a true freshman. Notably, during this period, he roomed with future UFC champion Jon Jones!
Following his success at Iowa Central, Covington transferred to the University of Iowa’s wrestling program. However, a 2007 arrest for eluding police and driving under the influence resulted in a year-long suspension and limited competition opportunities.
Seeking a fresh start, he moved to Oregon State University, where he excelled by qualifying for the NCAA tournament in both his junior and senior years. His senior year culminated in a fifth-place finish, earning him All-American honors. Additionally, at 174 pounds, Covington was a two-time Pac-10 Conference champion.
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in sociology in 2011, Covington continued to wrestle and snatched a gold medal at the 2013 FILA Grappling No-Gi World Championships.
His transition to MMA was pushed by Dan Lambert, owner of American Top Team, who recruited him to elevate the gym’s wrestling skill. Covington began his professional MMA career in 2012, amassing a 5–0 record before signing with the UFC in 2014.
Covington’s wrestling foundation has been instrumental in his MMA success — grappling skills go hand-in-hand with control in the octagon. This background has been important regarding his rise within the UFC’s welterweights, leading to his upcoming fight on December 14th, 2024.
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Make Colby Great Again
In 2017, Colby Covington faced a crack in his UFC career. Despite holding a decently strong record, his wrestling-centric fighting style was deemed insufficiently entertaining, leading the UFC to consider not renewing his contract.
Covington recounted, “They were talking about cutting me. I had one loss in the UFC, I was like 12 and 1. They said they didn’t like my style, they said I was boring, it was the last fight on my contract. They said, ‘Hey, we’re gonna cut you, we don’t like your style, you don’t bring anything to the table entertainment-aspect wise, so we gotta let you go.’”
So, facing potential release from the UFC, Colby Covington took a strategic step to save his career: he adopted a new persona, engaging in very provocative trash talk aimed at opponents and public figures alike. This shift not only revitalized his image but also garnered significant attention — both positive and negative. Notable examples include:
The Brazil Incident
After defeating Demian Maia in São Paulo in 2017, Covington addressed the Brazilian crowd as “filthy animals” and referred to Brazil as a “dump”. This incited immediate backlash, and he had to be escorted out by security.
Covington remained unapologetic, stating, “I don’t walk back anything I said because I don’t think I said anything that offensive. Look at the stuff they’re saying to me all week, the stuff in the walkout. They’re saying, ‘Oh, you’re a *****. You’re going to die. You’re a ******.’ Homophobic slurs. All these different super-nasty remarks. Where’s the double standard at?”
The Trolley Problem
In 2017, Matt Hughes was involved in a near-fatal incident when his truck was struck by a train at a railroad crossing in Illinois. The accident left Hughes with severe head trauma and extensive injuries, requiring a long recovery process.
Following his 2019 victory over Robbie Lawler at UFC on ESPN 5, Covington made a post-fight comment referencing former welterweight champion Hughes’ near-fatal train accident. Colby said, “You stay off the tracks when the train’s coming through, junior. Doesn’t matter if it’s the Trump train or the Colby train, get out the way.”
The Late Father
In the lead-up to UFC 296, Colby Covington made a deeply personal remark about Leon Edwards’ late father. During the pre-fight press conference, Covington declared, “On Saturday night, I’m going to bring you to a place you never want to be. I’m going to bring you to the seventh level of hell. We’ll say ‘what’s up’ to your dad while we’re there.”
This comment struck a nerve with Edwards — his father was tragically murdered when Leon was just 13 years old. Visibly angered, Edwards reacted by throwing a water bottle at Covington, which required security intervention to prevent further escalation.
The Rapper, Out Cold
In September of 2024, during a livestreamed sparring session on Kick, Covington applied a rear-naked chokehold on rapper Lil Pump. He ignored Lil Pump’s multiple tap-outs, a common signal in martial arts to indicate submission, which led to the rapper losing consciousness. The incident quickly went viral.
In response to the criticism, Lil Pump clarified that the scenario was prearranged. He tweeted, “I signed a waiver and told [Colby Covington] to try his best to choke me out even if I was tapping out… I honestly wanted to feel what it was like to be put to sleep.”
The President
Another notable aspect of Covington’s new approach was his outspoken support for President Donald Trump. He frequently sported “Make America Great Again” hats and praised Trump’s policies, intertwining his fighting career with political advocacy. This culminated in Trump’s actual attendance at Covington’s fights — including his fight at UFC 296.
While it has bolstered his visibility and appeal among certain fan demographics, it has also attracted criticism and controversy. Following his narrow loss to Leon Edwards at UFC 296, Covington suggested that the judges’ decision was influenced by his political stance, stating, “The judges never favor me. They hate me because I support Trump, and everybody hates Trump in this building, so… it is what it is. Life goes on.”
Chaos Returns
On December 14th, 2024, Colby “Chaos” Covington will enter the octagon, headlining the UFC Fight Night against Joaquin “New Mansa” Buckley at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. This welterweight fight marks Covington’s first since his unanimous decision loss to Leon Edwards at UFC 296 in December of 2023.
Originally, Joaquin Buckley was set to face the undefeated Irishman Ian Machado Garry. However, due to a reshuffling of matchups (prompted by welterweight champion Belal Muhammad’s withdrawal from UFC 310 because of a foot infection), Garry was reassigned to fight Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310. This opened the opportunity for Covington to step in against Buckley.
As the final UFC event of 2024, this fight holds substantial implications for the welterweight division heading into the new year. The chaos returns — but this time, in Tampa, Florida.
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