Colby Covington, the former interim UFC welterweight champion, had fully expected to be a part of the UFC fight card hosted at the White House. He has, after all, consistently been one of President Donald Trump’s most vocal supporters within the UFC roster.
However, when the official fight card was unveiled, Covington’s name was conspicuously absent. Instead, he received an offer to compete against the eventual winner of the UFC Fight Night 273 main event.
Covington expressed his keen desire to participate, stating he had actively campaigned with the UFC for a spot. “I thought they were holding me out for the fight specifically, but they couldn’t find anybody to fight me at that event,” he explained. “I asked for multiple names. I left it in their court many times. I said, ‘Hunter [Campbell], I’ll fight any man alive. I’d prefer to fight at 170 on a full camp, but if it’s a short-notice fight, I’ll fight at middleweight.'”
He further clarified, “If it’s going to be a full camp like this then I need to fight at my natural weight, but they didn’t have anybody involved.” The sole offer he received was to face the victor of the bout between Mike Malott and Gilbert Burns, which he accepted. “I said, ‘Okay, I’ll wait until the end of the year to fight them if that’s what you guys want.'”
For ‘Chaos’ Covington, who prides himself on being a ‘company man,’ being excluded from the prestigious UFC White House event was a profound disappointment.
“I wouldn’t say bothered, but I’d just say more like bummed, just a little bummed,” Covington admitted. “I thought I was a shoo-in for that spot.” He reflected on his history of unwavering support for Trump, predating 2018 when such endorsements were rare among athletes. He recounted proudly wearing a ‘MAGA’ hat with his championship belt through Times Square during media tours, often being singled out as the ‘white elephant in the room’ for his political stance.
“I thought that I was going to be able to get that call to represent the U.S. and be on the White House card,” he continued. “But unfortunately it wasn’t in their cards. Hunter didn’t give me the opportunity. The UFC didn’t give me the opportunity.” Covington made it clear he wouldn’t directly approach Trump for a favor.
He dismissed suggestions from others to do so, explaining, “Man, he’s got way more important things to worry about like keeping world peace right now. We don’t want to see a world war, so I’m not going to bother him.” He concluded, “I think the ship sailed for me going to the White House.”
While Covington harbored a strong desire to compete at the historic event, he was far from impressed with the matchups the promotion ultimately selected.
“It’s piss-poor at best,” he bluntly stated. “I think the fans have said it. I think the fans have spoken. The fans said they hate it. It’s a terrible card.” He pointed out the promotion’s unfulfilled promises of “six or seven title fights,” noting the final card featured only one title fight and a hastily arranged interim title bout. He criticized the event as “so disorganized” and “put together last minute,” highlighting a significant absence of high-ranking American fighters.
“I think they have two (American) guys on there. Michael Chandler, who is like 40 years old. And then Sean O’Malley, who is a great fighter. Love Sean, but besides that, who’s the guys representing America on the 250th birthday of America?” Covington questioned the lack of top American talent, suggesting the UFC “just don’t care anymore” after accumulating significant wealth. He concluded by lamenting, “It is what’s it is. The fans have spoken. It’s unfortunate.”
