Following his victory over Demian Maia at UFC Fight Night 119 , Colby Covington gave the now infamous post-fight interview where Covington made a full heel turn in front of the over 10,000 fans in São Paulo Brazil when he called the country a “dump” and its inhabitants/fans “filthy animals.” According to Rafael dos Anjos, such behavior would not fly in Rio de Janeiro, and he believes that Covington’s antics is why the fight did not take place in Brazil as originally reported:
“I think it was because of security issues, “dos Anjos told reporters at the UFC 225 media lunch Friday. “The problem is, when Colby fought Demian, that was in São Paulo. Rio, it’s a different story. I don’t know if you guys have been to Rio. Rio is rough. People are more wild. São Paulo, people are different. But Rio is a different level. Especially me being a Brazilian from Rio, I think it would be too much.”
In an interview with BJ Penn Radio last month, Colby Covington seemed unconcerned about security lapses and was ready to once again travel to Brazil to beat a native favorite:
“There was no hesitation [to accept the fight],” Covington said. “[Safety] was the first thing we talked about, before we even talked about the deal and the terms and the money. We talked about private security, secret service level security, being at a private hotel, being away from the fighters, not doing open workouts, not doing anything where it’s going to put me in danger in an open area where some Brazilians could come attack me.”
The self-proclaimed “super villain” was ultimately prevented from another potential heel-defining moment that we can only imagine would have resulted should he won UFC gold in Rio, not to mention the moments that could have occurred during the buildup to the fight. And while Covington seemed to have confidence in the ability of the security staff to keep him safe, dos Anjos cites recent events for why there was no good reason for the UFC to take that chance:
“After that Conor incident, too: he broke the glass on the bus and everything else. [Security] couldn’t handle one guy, how can they handle that crazy crowd?”
Brazil or Chicago, either way we can expect a very high-level bout that will determine who will be the next challenger for Tyron Woodley’s welterweight championship in what is arguably Colby Covington’s greatest challenge to date.
UFC 225 takes place this Saturday from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
Was it a wise move for the UFC to schedule this welterweight scrap in Chicago rather than Rio de Janeiro?
