Tyron Woodley delivered a scathing assessment of Colby Covington following news of his retirement, saying Covington was an opportunist who manufactured a persona and talked himself into positions his record never justified.
Woodley fought Covington in September 2020, losing by TKO due to a rib injury in the fifth round. The two were former training partners at American Top Team before their relationship soured. Speaking to New Betting Sites U.K., Woodley did not hold back.
“His whole brand was modeled around an act that he was such a Trump supporter, America this and that, when really he was just a Drake-listening, Beats headphones-wearing, hanging out in Miami, thinking he’s a gangster guy, who put on an act and a character. Your whole thing was baiting. Colby was piggybacking that because it was causing controversy. He wanted to create his own version of being a heel but in MMA. I paid Colby weekly to be a training partner for Rory just to torture him. He was an opportunist who took advantage of a quiet moment in MMA.”
Woodley acknowledged Covington’s physical attributes while dismissing his work ethic.
“I would say he’s tough. I would say he’s durable. I would say he’s a person that doesn’t work very hard, but he has crazy cardio. People hated him in the gym because he wouldn’t work very hard, but he had a gas tank, and he knew staying close to you was the best for him. He found a way to do that. He talked himself into positions that his record and ranking weren’t ever in. The sport was quiet. Ronda was gone. Jon was chilling out. Conor was out, and nobody was there, so we were willing to listen to him. He’s an opportunist that took advantage of a moment where the sport was quiet with stars, and we were just willing to listen to WWE and go on the ride with him. That’s his legacy.”
Covington’s UFC status was changed to retired earlier this week. He has not competed in the organization since a doctor’s stoppage TKO loss to Joaquin Buckley in December 2024. He remains active in Real American Freestyle wrestling and meets Chris Weidman at RAF 09 on May 30 in Dallas.