WWE News: Controversial UFC Star Threatens To Retire From MMA And Join Company
UFC star Colby Covington, and Donald Trump’s favorite fighter, is no stranger to speaking his mind, and he isn’t happy about his current pay grade in MMA. During an interview with ESPN‘s Ariel Helwani, per WrestlingNews.co, the controversial fighter made his thoughts about the company known, and threatened to leave for WWE after his next fight.
“UFC needs to pay up, if they don’t pay up after this fight you will probably see me in WWE,” Covington said. “This is it, I’m putting my foot down. I am willing to retire after Saturday night and go to WWE forever and leave this stupid corrupt business behind.”
Covington doesn’t have the most positive relationship with UFC president Dana White, so his days in the promotion could be numbered following tonight’s bout against Kamura Usman at UFC 244. As quoted by the South China Morning Post, White said at a recent press conference that Covington has been making a habit of refusing to fight unless the company pays him more.
However, White might not see a lot of incentive to give the fighter a pay rise at the moment as he doesn’t attract a lot of pay-per-view buys. As MMA News reported, Covington’s last show drew very low numbers, suggesting that his star power is being overstated.
The fighter is no stranger to the world of pro wrestling. He competed alongside Bobby Lashley for Impact Wrestling back in 2017, and appeared at a WrestlePro event the following year.
Now that Lashley is competing for WWE, Covington might be interested in realigning with his American Top Team partner. Covington is also good friends with Paul Heyman, the current executive director of Monday Night Raw.
Like @POTUS @realDonaldTrump always says: Promises made. Promises kept. Pleasure to finally meet you Mr. President. Thank you for always putting America first! #maga #GreatAmericanWinningMachine ?? pic.twitter.com/yYZWkdd5wS
— Colby Covington (@ColbyCovMMA) August 2, 2018
Covington is also a fan of WWE, and his UFC persona has been compared to heel gimmicks in sports entertainment. The mixed-martial artist is known for trash talking his opponents, and he’d undoubtedly make a smooth transition into wrestling full-time.
However, it remains to be seen if WWE will risk the bad publicity that Covington could bring to the company, which has promoted an apolitical product since Trump got elected in 2016.
Covington is an outspoken supporter of the president, and his right-wing ideology has divided many MMA fans. The McMahon family have also endorsed Trump, but should Covington join WWE, he’ll need to be less political when he appears on television.
As The Inquisitr previously reported, Trump said that Covington and Bryce Mitchell can fight Antifa activists on his behalf.
