MMADudeBro: Colby Covington interview, InvictaFC 22

MMA Dude Bro: Episode 132 - download HERE

The following is a partial transcript for the interview we did with UFC welterweight Colby Covington. Our download link includes that plus a breakdown of the Invicta FC 22 card, UFC London from the weekend prior, & WSOF 35.

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Colby Covington/MMA Dude Bro interview 3/19/17

K: Ken, MMA Dude Bro

F: Frank, MMA Dude Bro

C: Colby Covington

K: We mentioned really briefly, before we started, that you’d spent a good part of the weekend at the NCAA wrestling championships with your dad who is also a collegiate wrestler – how soon did he get you on the mats?

C: Um, my dad got me on the mats wrestling when I was about seven, so his pitch to me was, ‘hey man, you’re getting bullied a lot [in elementary school] so if you want to beat these guys up and be able to fight back, you better be a wrestler, ‘cuz all the wrestlers are beating the dudes up so if you want to fight these guys back you need to be a wrestler and get tough.’

K: And how soon did you found out that was true?

C: It didn’t take me until I was about 18. I was a senior in highschool. Because I took my lumps. I was never really good as a kid growing up. The biggest thing with me was I believed in myself and I never gave up. A lot of kids don’t have success early on and they hate it and they quit. I took my lumps. I got beat a lot. I lost more times than I won. But I kept working hard and I never stopped believing. And that’s very important. You never stop believing in yourself.

K: That’s amazing ‘cuz considering how far you’ve gone one would think that it would have been something maybe you would have more success earler on. But that’s really great.

C: Yeah you know I think the losses and not being successful – that’s always fueled my fire more than the winning. I think that’s the true statement. You learn more from a loss than you do from winning. That’s helped me, that’s shaped me into who I am now and what I’m going to accomplish in the future.

K: Yeah, looking at the future you know there’s a saying that, "closed mouths never get fed." You’ve been pretty hardcore in your campaign in that you want to be the guy that helps introduce former lightweight champion Raphael Dos Anjos into the 170 lb. division. Before we get into the recent barbs and stuff on twitter and some of the things that have been exchanged back-and-forth…why RDA and why do you think you’re the guy?

C: I’m looking for a big name. Most people have me ranked right around 16 in the world and I’m right on the edge of the rankings. You know I’ve beaten guys that were ranked. Mike Pyle was ranked #13 in the world when I beat him. I feel like I deserve a big opportunity now. I’m 6-1 in the UFC. I’ve never really lost a round. The one loss was when I came into a fight with a factured rib - no excuses but you know, it was kind of a Rocky-type submission where he caught me. I learned a lot from that. Since then I’ve been on a 3 fight winning streak. I’m finishing opponents. I’m dominating opponents. I feel like I deserve a big step up. You know I haven’t really had a challenge in my career. I’m looking for a challenge. And a big name. A lot of these ranked guys – they don’t want to fight me. They’ve turned me down. Kumaru Usman has been ducking me for four or five years on the regional scene out in Florida. I’m just looking for a big name. RDA’s a big name. He wants to come to 170. He’s not going to jump to the front of the line at 170. I don’t give a fuck what he’s done at 155. 155’s 155. This is 170. So if he wants to come to 170, he deserves a test. And I’m that test. I mean I’m willing to go fight him in his backyard. Who wants to go fight him in his backyard? I’m stepping up willing to fight. These guys want to fight anybody anytime. I’m showing the UFC how I’m willing to fight. I’m going to be vocal about it. Give them what they want.

K: Now by his backyard, do you mean Brasil?

C: Yeah Brasil on the Rio card.

K: Oh that’s right because that’s coming up. You’ve really made your bones in the UFC internationally so that’s really no big deal.

C: Yeah man they started sending me to dudes’ backyards early in my career to see if I was battle-tested in my first fight. Fighting a Chinese dude in China. Made him tap out to strikes. Second fight I fought a Brasilian Jiu Jitsu black belt in Brasil. And I had the fans booing at me, "uh vai morrer," which means, ‘you will die’ in Portugese. I submitted him. And he was a black belt. It’s a dishonor in their society. You know I’ve been going to dudes’ backyards. I went to Canada. Beat up a Canadian dude in Canada. I’m not a cherry-pick fighter who’s looking for an easy route. I got into this sport to test myself and fight the best in the world and that’s what I’m looking for right now.