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Dana White could not give a direct answer when asked if Colby Covington was supposed to be cut from the promotion. 'Chaos' had previously claimed that he was about to be released by the UFC before he turned into the entertainer that he is today.
Covington made a notorious post-fight speech after defeating Demian Maia in Sao Paulo in 2017, calling Brazilians "filthy animals". At the recently held UFC 272 pre-fight press conference, a reporter asked White if Covington was supposed to be cut from the promotion before the infamous speech. The UFC president replied:
"I have no idea. I honestly don't know the answer of that question. It was a long time ago."
Watch Dana White's response below:
Colby Covington claimed that his new persona helped him save his job
Colby Covington has claimed that he would have been cut from the UFC had he not become the notorious trash-talker he is today. According to Covington, the promotion was going to release him despite the fact that he was ranked No.6 in the welterweight division at the time.
'Chaos' also revealed that he was paid only $30,000 to fight Demian Maia, who was then the No.2-ranked welterweight contender. According to the Californian, it was his promo in the post-fight interview that helped him save his job.
Covington told Candace Owens in an interview in 2019:
“So I go out there and I beat [Demian Maia] up and leave him in a pool of blood in Sao Paulo, in his home city. I shoot this promo on the Brazilians and say, ‘You guys are all a bunch of filthy animals and Brazil you’re a dump.’ So I go and shoot this promo, and I wasn’t supposed to have my job, but that promo goes so viral on the internet, that the UFC’s like, we have to keep him, we have to re-sign him because that promo is so big. So that’s what saved my career and that was the turning point of my career. The rest has been history.”
Watch a clip from Colby Covington's interview with Candace Owens below:
Covington is scheduled to face archrival Jorge Masvidal in the main event at UFC 272 this Saturday. The 34-year-old is coming off a loss against welterweight titleholder Kamaru Usman at UFC 268 last year.
