Paddy Pimblett and Colby Covington Have Heated Altercation Backstage
At UFC 314, Paddy Pimblett silenced critics with a furious TKO stoppage of top-10 veteran Michael Chandler. He took over the fight in the second round with sharp boxing and showcased his superior grappling skills, hunting for submissions and landing ground-and-pound en route to a 3rd-round stoppage from a barrage of punches and elbows from the top. Chandler was also busted open by a huge knee and subsequent punches. It was undoubtedly the signature win of Pimblett’s career thus far and should catapult him into the crowded list of title contenders at Lightweight.
However, the British phenom nearly had a second fight on his hands. While Paddy gave interviews backstage, Colby Covington took the opportunity to approach him and engage in trash talk. Pimblett didn’t take kindly to the interruption, and an intense argument ensued.
No Love Lost Between Pimblett and Covington
Colby Covington shouted across bystanders at Paddy Pimblett, “You’re a f***ing scrub! You’re fighting guys who are 2-6!” Paddy responded, saying, “I’ll come over there and slap you! Little maggot, keep putting your act on!”
When asked about the argument in the post-fight press conference, Pimblett had more insults to throw at the American:
“Mr. Irrelevant, trying to stay relevant. He said something about Chandler being 2-4; isn’t [Covington] 2-4 in his last 6, something like that? He’s nearly 40, trying to stay relevant by jumping on me when there’s a camera there. I saw him at Power Slap last week and walked past him, stared at him, and he just looked at the floor like the little p**** boy he is.”
“The Baddy” was on point in identifying the irony; Covington is 2-4 in his last 6 UFC fights dating back to 2019, the same record as Chandler heading into his clash with Pimblett at UFC 314. Covington hasn’t had a win in over 3 years, since he defeated Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272.
Paddy Pimblett has a history with Covington, taking exception to his treatment of fellow Englishman Leon Edwards. Referring to that incident in 2023, Pimblett called Covington “a little piece of s***” and “f***ing disgusting”.
Big Things Ahead for Paddy The Baddy
After his emphatic win, Pimblett would seem to have bigger fish to fry than personal beefs with former contenders outside his weight class. At the post-fight press conference, he discussed the possibility of clashes with top contenders like Charles Oliveira and the former Featherweight champion Ilia Topuria.
Asked about Oliveira, Paddy expressed a personal interest in the fight due to a perceived slight to his own jiu-jitsu game:
“He gets called the best submission artist the UFC’s ever seen. So I’d love to go up against that because I think I’ve got better submissions than Charles Oliveira.”
When questioned about Topuria (who was conspicuously missing from Pimblett’s short list of possible opponents in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan), Paddy threw a bit of shade:
“To be honest, I forgot all about him, or I would’ve mentioned him in the cage. I literally forgot all about him; that’s how irrelevant he is. I’m ranked higher than he is at Lightweight. I’d love to welcome him to 155. I have the blueprint to beating him, he’s even more of a midget than Chandler is.”
Whoever the UFC puts in front of him next, we can expect yet another step up in competition. After watching him dismantle Michael Chandler at UFC 314, there’s little doubt he belongs at the top of the division and can give any opponent a run for their money. With another big win, he could have a title shot looming in the near future.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
