"I respect him as a fighter" - Javier Mendez gives his opinion on Colby Covington

Javier Mendez says he respects Colby Covington "as a fighter" despite criticisms of Covington's persona and fight promotion tactics. Mendez asserted that he doesn't judge 'Chaos' and his notorious trash talk.

The American Kickboxing Academy head coach recently appeared on the Real Quick with Mike Swick podcast. He opened up on several topics, notably Colby Covington and his rematch against UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.

“So, Colby plays who he plays. But he’s – I don’t know. I don’t know him. But I don’t think he’s really that person. I think he’s just playing something he’s not. And most people don’t like him for that. And I’m not judging him because I don’t really know. I just see what he’s doing. But I respect him as a fighter ‘cause he’s a hell of a fighter. I just think that the champ [Kamaru Usman] is at another level than anybody, that’s all.”

Javier Mendez emphasized that Colby Covington and the others switch their respective public personas on and off. He explained that fighters go back and forth from promoting fights to reverting to their normal selves.

“Yeah, well the thing is, you know, it’s like Colby, he’s got his different appeal. Henry Cejudo has his, the cringe. Chael Sonnen had his shtick, and now we’ve got Colby with his. And they’re all, you know, playing something else they really aren’t. And out of all those, I like Chael’s version the best. I think he handled it the best. He was the best at it. But out of all those three, the best fighter was obviously Henry Cejudo because he proved he was the best. But I’m just saying they all have their own ‘off persona.’ That’s not who they really are.”

You can watch Javier Mendez’s appearance on the podcast in the video below:

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UFC 268 – Redemption for Colby Covington or a repeat for Kamaru Usman?

The first fight between Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman witnessed ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ successfully defend his UFC welterweight title by defeating Covington via fifth-round TKO at UFC 245 in December 2019.

Colby Covington is now set to face the champion in a rematch on November 6 at UFC 268. Since their first meeting, Kamaru Usman has gone 3-0 inside the octagon, while ‘Chaos’ has only fought once - a win over former champion Tyron Woodley.

'The Nigerian Nightmare' is deservedly the favorite. Kamaru Usman has picked up a trio of dominant wins, been more active than Colby Covington and holds a win over him. However, many feel that 'Chaos' is still the toughest stylistic matchup for the reigning champ. Many also argue that Covington provided Usman the toughest test of his MMA career in their first meeting.