Colby Covington doesn’t plan to just fade into the background when his fighting career is over.
Fresh off of a disappointing decision loss to Leon Edwards at UFC 296, the 35-year-old welterweight contender has been making the media rounds to explain his poor performance and discuss what’s next for him after his third failed attempt at becoming champion.
Covington told the PBD Podcast that he’d like to follow in the footsteps of his idol, former president Donald Trump, and pursue a career in politics.
“I do believe I’m the Donald Trump of the UFC,” Covington said. “He’s my biggest role model, he’s my mentor, and he’s someone that I really look up to, so I try and model my career after a lot of things that he’s done.
“I definitely would like to run for Congress in a few years, I think I’d be the perfect fighter. I’m not a guy that’s going to sell out to the establishment. I’m a self-made man from nothing. I came from a blue-collar family in Oregon who had absolutely nothing, who lived in the trailer parks, now I’m a multi-million dollar athlete, so I think that I can do great things for this Republican and Conservative movement because they don’t have the funds and means to do it. I appreciate everything Donald Trump’s done for me, I’m a true believer, I’ll die fighting for that man.”
Much of Covington’s rise from middle-of-the-pack fighter to pay-per-view headliner involved him proudly declaring his fealty to Trump and the Republican party, while also infusing his promos and interviews with insults aimed at his rivals. He drew criticism after taking shots at Edwards’ deceased father ahead of their Dec. 16 main event clash, which ended with Covington losing a unanimous decision.
The uninspiring performance has led to questions of whether Covington should consider retirement, a possibility that he has ruled out. However, he looks forward to the day that he’s done fighting in the cage and can possibly work towards becoming the governor of Florida, where he currently resides.
“I haven’t thought about it because I’m still a 100 percent in the UFC,” Covington said. “I feel like when you start putting that one foot out and start thinking about what’s next, then you should probably retire. You’re not still completely invested in the fighting. I still know I’m one of the best fighters in the world. I just went five rounds with the supposed champion, who was supposed to just completely decimate me and it was a very competitive fight, could have went either way.
“I know that I am more than just a fighter though. I’m not just a fighter that shows up and fights in the octagon. That’s not all I can do, I’m smarter than that. I can use my mind, I have intellect to be able to navigate the waters and get me where I want to go in life. I haven’t thought about it. I do want to get into politics one day because I want to fight for what I believe in. I want to get into Congress, maybe Senate, maybe something like that. Maybe be the Governor of Florida, that would be my ultimate dream to be the governor of this state.”
Wherever Covington goes, he expects a segment of the fan base to follow him as he considers himself to be one of MMA’s more entertaining personalities. He’s not apologizing for any of the personal attacks he directed at Edwards, especially since he feels that he’s responsible for bringing attention to their fight.
“I don’t think I was beat last weekend,” Covington said. “I think I gained a lot more and the fans see the truth of the fighter and the marketer that I am, the entertainment aspect that I bring to the sport. I make it fun for the fans. They pay their hard-earned money to watch us. As far as Leon, no one was watching or tuning in to the fight to see Leon. It was either the people that absolutely love me or he was just borrowing my haters for the night. It wasn’t like he actually brought in any extra fans.”
