Covington has done wonders playing the role of "heel" in MMA and it is at least in part the entire reason why he has a following and his stature inside of the UFC. He was basically on the way out when he "turned heel" and then he started to have a massive following. He looks political and acts it as well, but for the most part I think that a lot of this is a game to get notoriety. He proves his smack-talk in the octagon though, and that is what makes his outbursts tolerable.
I think it is a dangerous game for him to go after Dana White's brainchild of the BMF (Baddest MOFO) belt though, even though I completely agree with him when he says it is "nothing more than a promotional tool."
The fact that anyone could look at it as anything else is just ridiculous in my mind.
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In case you missed it, the BMF belt was introduced during a cross-promotion with The Rock and the inaugural fight was between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz. This fight was a real let down not because it didn't have the ingredients to be a good fight but because it was called off due to doctor's stoppage since Nate was bleeding a great deal. To anyone who has seen Diaz fight, you already know that this is just the way that Nate is, he bleeds. So Masvidal got the BMF belt but it never really meant anything because he never defended it. A subsequent fight happened a bit later between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje which was a fight for the ages, but at the end I don't think anyone really cared about the stupid belt.
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Gaethje won in spectacular fashion but I would imagine that he is about as interested in that belt on his shoulder as he is about the Monster energy drink that he is required to hold in his hand. Loads of people have spoken out against the existence of the BMF belt and I have been one of them since the start. I do like that Colby just goes after everyone involved with it though when he says things like this:
“It’s nothing more than a participation fight to cater to the guys that can never win an undisputed strap, Good for them. Their little side circus show, participation trophy, good for you, man, but you’re not the best, you’re not the undisputed champion. You’re just nothing more than a promotional tool. They were used to promote that fight because they needed a title fight to sell the pay-per-view, so good for them.”
Covington has always come out swingin' on the microphone and he is no doubt promoting himself a bit as he prepares for his title fight against Leon Edwards in December... a fight that Covington will almost certainly be favored to win.
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Covington is quite the character and he says some pretty outlandish things that are so insulting to the UFC and Dana White that I can't help but feel as though this must be some sort of promotional something or other that was actually pre-approved by the higher ups at UFC. At one point he threatened to "slap Dana White after the fight" and there was no repercussions for that. I don't know how your job works, but you would probably never threaten to physically assault the CEO of the company and expect to be working there the next week.
He also carries his own custom made belt that is not at all sanctioned by the UFC. He has never been the champion. his entrance song for his fights is also the Kurt Angle "you suck!" song and it was deliberately chosen exactly for that purpose. I love him.
Two things that we can take away from this: Colby Covington is quite the showman and the BMF belt is stupid.