MMA’s most hated man Colby Covington is playing us all

VIRGIN-hating, nerd-bashing Colby Covington’s win at UFC 225 revealed we’ve only got ourselves to blame for falling into his trap.

Colby Covington doesn't care who he offends.

IT SEEMS appropriate on the day American president Donald Trump is making news for a historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that we reflect on how one of his enthusiastic supporters is playing us all.

As we told you in a story last week, UFC star Colby Covington has carefully crafted a persona as an absolute jerk — and he doesn’t care who he offends. What he’s genuinely like away from the cameras doesn’t matter. What matters is the MMA world hates him — and that’s just the way he wants it.

From insulting “nerds” and “virgins” to bagging non-Trump supporters and calling Brazilians “filthy animals”, the 30-year-old is easy to dislike.

Read: No one is safe from shameless sports jerk

Fresh from a win over Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 225 in Chicago on the weekend, Covington is once again proving his schtick is working. He said before his interim welterweight title fight if he was victorious he’d like to personally deliver his gold strap to Trump in the White House — and that may not seem so far-fetched.

UFC president Dana White is a longtime supporter of the president and even spoke in support of Trump at the 2016 Republican National Convention. When asked after UFC 225 about Covington’s plan to visit 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, White said: “I can make that happen.”

Covington craves attention and that’s what’s he’s getting. White supported his pro-Trump views and is now showing him some love. Would that be happening if Covington wasn’t such a drawcard by being so outspoken? Unlikely.

He’s creating headlines and that buzz will only increase after his win on Sunday, which makes him unbeaten in six fights.

Colby Covington is his own man.

His bad guy persona is a trap the MMA world is falling into. Just look at what fellow UFC star Tyron Woodley had to say on Instagram this week in response to Covington calling out the American in Chicago.

“I ain’t never in my life, I ain’t never in my career, I ain’t never in my existence as an adult human being wanted to f*** somebody up so bad, beat somebody so bad, embarrass somebody so bad, end his career so bad, take his life so bad — and I don’t even say that figuratively,” Woodley said.

“Literally, I’m gonna try to hurt him so f***ing bad they’re never gonna want to let me fight in the UFC again. That’s a fact.”

Welterweight champion Woodley has been out injured since mid-last year, which allowed Covington to claim the interim title on Sunday. As Woodley pointed out, there’s a very good reason the man he wants to destroy is on everyone’s mind.

“Number one, he’s a poser,” Woodley said, per MMA Junkie. “And our sport has been so dead that everybody wants to believe it. They want to believe the hype, because we don’t have nothing else riding right now.

“Jon Jones is out for a minute. Conor (McGregor)’s out for a minute. Ronda (Rousey) is getting inducted into the (UFC) Hall of Fame. As far as stars in the UFC, we’re lacking, so we are willing to accept the (expletive) that’s coming out of this kid’s face.”

Covington trash talked his way into his bout against dos Anjos and he’s on track to do the same with Woodley. It’s smart because he knows the UFC loves a loudmouth — even if it inspires fans to tune in to see him hopefully get destroyed.

Championship Assets #ufc225 #NerdBash2018 #MyHatersAreAllVirgins pic.twitter.com/reL4uVfxCW

— Colby Covington (@ColbyCovMMA) April 13, 2018

MMA journalist Ben Fowlkes said the lack of star power in the UFC has provided the vacuum needed for Covington to suck us all in, even if his act isn’t perfect.

“We’re hungry for a little sparkle and shine, maybe even a little controversy. We’re so desperate that we’re willing to consider just about anything you give us,” Fowlkes wrote for MMA Junkie.

“Maybe it’s a testament to the power of negative energy in the fight game. When so much depends on making people care one way or another about whether or not you get beat up on TV, you don’t even have to do the gimmick well to get people personally invested in the ongoing hope for your eventual humiliation.

“It’s so effective, sometimes it even works on the champ (Woodley).”

Every fresh insult hurled Covington’s way is another win for him. It gives him more airtime and more publicity to work on being the most unpopular fighter on the UFC roster, which only boosts his profile and gives him a better shot at starring on big pay-per-view cards.

Replying to Woodley’s taunts, Covington said: “All I’ve got to say about Tyron Woodley is I will break his soul and take his soul again like I did at American Top Team.

“I’m already in his head.”

Covington is in plenty of other people’s heads too, and they’ve only got themselves to blame.