Colby Covington says don’t be like Michael Chiesa.
Chiesa and ‘Chaos’ have never crossed paths inside the Octagon, though that’s not for a lack of trying on Chiesa’s part. Following his win over Tony Ferguson last year, ‘Maverick’ called for a clash with Covington to find out who the best welterweight hailing from the Pacific Northwest truly is.
“I mean, I hate to beat a dead horse man, I want the same guy I asked for last time I was here – I want to fight Colby Covington before I retire,” Chiesa said during the UFC Abu Dhabi post-show in August. “I’m 36 years old, we’re in the same age bracket and at this point, I’m not really chasing the title.
“I just don’t really give a crap about the number next to Colby’s name, you know he may reside in Dade County – I don’t give a sh*t where he resides, Dade County, Miami – whatever, you’re from Oregan and I am from Washington. I want to find out who’s the best goddamn welterweight in the Pacific Northwest”
Covington paid little notice to the call-out last year, but during a recent training session, the three-time UFC title challenger had a few words for Chiesa.
“Don’t ride off other people’s jocks like Michael Chiesa,” Covington said in a video on his YouTube channel. “He’s a great example of what you don’t want to do when you become an Ultimate Fighter champion. He’s a great example for the kids on the show that I can tell them don’t be a Michael Chiesa. Be a Chael Sonnen, be a Daniel Cormier, be a Chael Sonnen. Those are how you get paid and make it in this industry.”
An interesting take considering Covington has been riding Donald Trump’s oversized jock for nearly a decade.
‘DC’ and ‘The American Gangster’ want to see Michael chiesa vs. colby covington
As it stands, there are no plans to book a fight between the two welterweight mainstays, but that could change depending on how things go when Covington and Chiesa collide on the set of The Ultimate Fighter 33. In the latest season of the UFC’s long-running reality series, Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen will go head-to-head as head coaches with Chiesa and Covington serving as assistant coaches.
In years past, the head coaches would often fight at the TUF Finale, but Cormier thinks it makes more sense for their assistants to take center stage in that regard.
“I have Michael Chiesa on my coaching staff, Chael has Colby Covington,” Cormier said at the TUF 33 media day. “Why don’t they just fight and we just coach them? That is about as close as we would both get to going back in the Octagon. Why don’t those dudes fight each other?”
TUF 33 will mark the 20th anniversary of the series. This season will feature male flyweights and welterweights and will air every Tuesday beginning May 27, 2025.
