Regardless of whether you like him or not, it’s hard to argue that Colby Covington’s controversial approach to the fight game hasn’t been effective.
The 30-year-old ATT product flipped from being another faceless wrestler on the periphery of contendership into the interim UFC welterweight champion in a little more than a year after ramping up his willingness to trash talk and becoming a divisive, WWE-esque character on the mic. Covington is now slated to challenge welterweight king Tyron Woodley in a much-anticipated title unification match later this year.
Covington’s abrupt rise from the prelims to the belt stands as further proof that making one’s voice heard remains one of the most important factors in determining success in the sport, regardless of how polarizing the words behind that voice may be.