Covington refuses to pile on injured McGregor while blasting Poirier as 'fake nice guy'

Colby Covington has broken from the wave of post-fight criticism directed at Conor McGregor following UFC 329, instead reserving his sharpest words for Dustin Poirier over comments Poirier made in the immediate aftermath of McGregor’s injury.

McGregor made his long-awaited return to the octagon last Saturday after a five-year absence — a layoff that followed a gruesome leg break against Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. In his rematch with Max Holloway, McGregor threw a wild kick early in the bout that appeared to result in a serious knee injury, forcing a stoppage and handing Holloway a TKO victory.

Covington, who faces Arman Tsarukyan in the main event of RAF 11 this Saturday in Milwaukee, acknowledged the scale of McGregor’s impact on the sport and the event itself. “McGregor, you know, he’s the biggest star the sport’s ever seen,” Covington told MMA Fighting. “He sold a lot of tickets. I think it was the highest gate the UFC has ever seen, so he boosted the economy for the UFC and for Vegas. The excitement, the electricity that he brings to a UFC arena, that can’t be understated.”

McGregor, a former two-division UFC champion, has pledged to return following surgery, though the full extent of the knee injury has not yet been officially confirmed.

While several fighters offered sympathetic takes on McGregor’s situation, Poirier drew attention by calling his three-time opponent a “dirtbag” on the Deep Waters podcast. Covington made clear he had no intention of following suit — and used the moment to revisit Poirier’s Father’s Day arrest for public drunkenness.

“McGregor is still a first ballot Hall of Famer and the biggest star the sport’s ever seen, so I’m not gonna kick him while he’s down,” Covington said. “I’m not going to be like that fraud Dustin soy boy, Louisiana swamp trash Poirier. Especially a guy that made Dustin’s career.”

Covington went further, questioning Poirier’s public persona in pointed terms. “Dustin Poirier is the biggest fake nice guy I’ve ever seen in my life, and I’ve been telling people for years,” he said. “He plays a nice guy on camera, but off camera, he’s a piece of shit person. He’s cussing at a cop, calling the little desk ladies that are just sitting there minding their own business, doing their job, calling them hoes multiple times. It’s disgusting.”

Covington’s own fight against Tsarukyan at RAF 11 this weekend now takes centre stage, with the former welterweight title contender looking to remain relevant in a division he once dominated.