Chaos by name, Chaos by nature; outspoken welterweight Colby “Chaos” Covington is known for delivering one of the most shocking post-fight speeches in MMA history.
The insane speech was so inappropriate and hostile that it caused a near riot in the stands, with groups of armed UFC fans reportedly even chasing down Colby Covington after the event.
Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
A UFC post-fight speech that was so hostile it almost caused a riot in the stands
After raising his hand over Demian Maia at UFC Fight Night: Sao Paulo in 2017, Covington addressed the Brazilian crowd with one of the most infamous post-fight speeches in UFC history.
“Brazil, you guys are a mess, you filthy animals are all shit,” he shouted into the microphone as a stunned Daniel Cormier looked on in disbelief.
Almost immediately after these words left Covington, “chaos” erupted in the stands, with a tidal wave of boos drowning out much of the rest of the interview.
And things didn't get much better when the American left the octagon, forcing around 15 security guards to protect the welterweight as several objects were hurled his way with cruel intent.
“We are taking the situation with Colby Covington very seriously,” Executive VP Dave Shaw said at the post-fight press conference, revealing that Covington’s conduct “would be reviewed by our Code of Conduct Committee.”
Covington reveals that groups of armed fans chased him after the speech
When Covington spoke to Daniel Cormier a few years later, he revealed that the reaction to his post-fight speech was so hostile that he required 24-hour security protection to keep him safe.
Covington even claimed that he needed armed guards to be with him from the moment he left the arena, all the way to the fight hotel; where they reportedly stayed to plan an exit strategy, in case anyone tried to attack him.
“They were loaded like Brazilian secret service guards, who had guns and everything. They said, “Hey, we gotta get you through this crazy exit [from the arena] downstairs, and we have to get you to the hotel early. And you must wear glasses and cover yourself with a hood and a hat.”
'They said, 'You have to go in disguise. We can't let you out.' That's why they didn't let me have a post-fight press conference after the fight, because there were a bunch of Brazilians surrounding the arena, with guns, knives and forks.
It wasn't just the promotion and the fan base that were outraged by Covington's speech, even his own teammates almost turned their backs on him after risking their safety.
“Then I remember my whole team yelling, 'Man, you put all our lives in danger; not just you… They want to kill us all now.” So they were all mad at me.”
Colby Covington credits the 'Filthy Animals' speech for saving his UFC career
While Covington may be one of the most hated MMA fighters in all of Brazil, the brash American credits that infamous moment with saving his UFC career.
In an interview with Candace Owens, Covington stated that prior to his fight with Maia, the UFC considered cutting him from the roster due to his perceived “boring” fighting style and personality.
“They told my manager Dan Lambert that they wouldn't re-sign me. They didn't like my style. They didn't like the fact that I wasn't entertaining, and this was before I really started to become an entertainer and understand the entertainment aspect of this business.
“So I'm going to shoot this promo, and I wasn't supposed to have my job, but that promo goes so viral on the internet, the UFC is like, 'We gotta keep him, we gotta re-sign him because that promo was so big. ''
Covington, who returns to action this weekend at UFC Fight Night: Tampa, acknowledged: “That saved my career, that was the turning point in my career and the rest is history.”
Covington will take on Joaquin Buckley in the main event of UFC Tampa, scheduled for Saturday, December 14.
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