The long-running rivalry between Colby Covington and former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley ended not with an emphatic finish but instead with an injury-induced stoppage. But make no mistake, Colby Covington dominated the main event of UFC Vegas 11.
Covington outworked, bloodied and battered the former champion for four rounds before Woodley suffered an apparent rib injury in the final frame of the fight. The two found themselves grappling when Woodley yelled out in pain, prompting referee Dan Miragliotta called a stop to the fight. It wasn't the emphatic finish that many had hoped to see this heated rivalry end with, but Covington made a statement with his dominant performance.
Covington didn't work with his usualy high output but he was effective enough in his attack. It wasn't until the fourth round that Covington took full control of the fight, opening a cut over Woodley's eye and controlling him on the ground. Despite the lackluster finish, everyone watching agrees Covington was up in the match, having probably won all four rounds.
Following his win, the former interim champion immediately called out, "I want my belt back!"
In addition to calling for his belt back from current champion Kamaru Usman, Covington also called out Jorge Masvidal. Like Woodley, there's also no shortage of bad blood between Covington and Masvidal.
But if the show in the Octagon was thrilling enough, some real fireworks were set off after the event on air on ESPN+. While speaking during his post-fight interview, Covington, an avid supporter of Donald Trump, received a phone call from the President of the United States. Covington put the call on speaker and we got to listen to Trump congratulate Covington for his big win.
Covington then went on to get into a shouting match with the current welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman. The two fought to unify the welterweight belt at UFC 245 in December 2019 with Usman coming away with a TKO win in the fifth round. Covington called it his worst night and Usman's best night and vowed to knock out the champion the next time they meet in the Octagon.
Regardless of how you feel about Covington's political views, there's no denying he's an incredible fighter. He's a polarizing character but he backs up his trash talk with skill in the Octagon.