Daniel Cormier expertly breaks down how a once-invaluable gimmick has left Colby Covington as public enemy #1 in the UFC
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Daniel Cormier breaks down how Colby Covington's divisive 'gimmick' has backfired, with 'Chaos' slumping to 2-4 in his last six fights after Joaquin Buckley's brutal beatdown at UFC Tampa.
The former double champion remains not only one of the best fighters to have ever competed in the octagon, but also one of MMA's most insightful pundits – and his breakdown of Colby Covington's fall from grace is arguably one of his best.
Daniel Cormier explains how Colby Covington's 'gimmick' failed him
The 15-minute-long video, as shared to his official YouTube channel, is well worth a listen-through in full, with the legendary UFC champion explaining how a once-valuable gimmick has turned sour.
"Sometimes the gimmick is very transparent, [but] sometimes it's a little more hidden in regards to whether it's real, or if you think somebody is giving you a character.
"Covington was always a good fighter, always tough, but nobody really cared," rightly stated Daniel Cormier, with 'Chaos' having ironically been a rather humble and down-to-earth personality before turning heel around 2017.
"That is all fun and games until you start to lose… Your gimmick to be as big as anything you want in the world, your idea of how you want people to see you can be big [and] it can be brash, but ultimately, you've got to win – right?
"All that time that Colby was vocal – when he was talking about Brazilians – it was because he had beat the s*** out of him for 25 minutes. And for a very long time, he ran and he rode hot man. This dude was 1B to Kamaru Usman's 1A for a really long time."
That's very true, despite all the controversial comments from Covington through the years, he remained at or near-to the top of the welterweight division for years upon end; and to a certain extent, we've only got ourselves to blame.
"When he disrespected Leon Edwards' father, everybody turned the other cheek [because] it's Colby right, this is what he does… When he disrespected Kamaru Usman, everybody turned the other cheek because it was the gimmick. And I think, that as time went on, people started to see through the gimmick."
Covington was badly beaten by Joaquin Buckley at UFC Tampa, with the likes of Belal Muhammad, Kamaru Usman, and even GOAT Jon Jones piling on 'Chaos' in its aftermath.
Jones was particularly brutal in his reaction, claiming that it was "amusing" to see Covington beat so viciously – even teasing that "at least [Donald Trump] got to see me win."
That backlash, deserved or otherwise, could be the end of Covington, who now has a choice to make; double-down and remain the UFCs public enemy #1, or alleviate some of the backlash by giving up the character.
"While it was entertaining at times, while it was cringe at times, or sometimes it just made you flat-out uncomfortable – he ultimately made himself valuable and made a lot of money doing it," noted Cormier.
Ironically, Covington actually credits his infamous 'Filthy Animals' speech for saving his career, revealing in a past interview the UFC were considering cutting him from the roster over his perceived 'boring' style.
"I'm not here to s*** on Colby Covington, I want your guys' opinion as to what happens now for a guy who has lived on top of the sport for so long and partly due to the fact that he was loud, boisterous and all those other things.
"Does he just not have it anymore and how does he handle the windstorm that comes from the guys who he's trashed on? I truly believe that if he goes into hiding, then it's going to be worse."
Covington has fired back at Jones, and certainly didn't mince his words, but when all is said and done; 'Bones' remains heavyweight champion and the consensus GOAT, whilst Covington is 2-4 in his last six.
"He took shots at the top, in terms of Usman, Edwards, and Jon Jones – but those guys are still at the time, as his time starts to pass him by."
