Colby Covington shifted his pre-fight trash talk away from opponent Arman Tsarukyan, targeting Dustin Poirier instead, claiming Poirier has had everything handed to him and never had to grind. When Tsarukyan asked Covington how upset he would be if he lost to him the following day, Covington deflected.
With his fight against Arman Tsarukyan just one day away, Colby Covington chose to spend part of his pre-fight media time taking aim at Dustin Poirier rather than the man standing across from him in the cage. Covington claimed that Poirier has had opportunities handed to him throughout his career and never endured the same grind that he himself has gone through — a pointed dig that had little to do with the lightweight contest on the horizon.
Covington, 38, carries a 17-5 record and fights out of MMA Masters. The orthodox wrestler averages 3.64 takedowns per fifteen minutes, one of the higher rates in the sport, and lands 3.81 significant strikes per minute. He did not directly answer when Tsarukyan pressed him on how he would feel about losing to him the following day, sidestepping the question entirely.
Tsarukyan, 29, enters the fight as the number one ranked lightweight in the world with a 23-3 record. The Russian fighter based out of American Top Team lands 3.85 significant strikes per minute at fifty percent accuracy and adds 3.26 takedowns per fifteen minutes — a well-rounded profile that makes the deflection from Covington all the more notable.
Poirier, 37, carries a 30-10 record and competes as a southpaw out of American Top Team. He lands 5.24 significant strikes per minute at fifty percent accuracy, numbers that sit well above the divisional average and undercut the narrative Covington was pushing.
Why it matters
- Covington's decision to target Poirier publicly rather than engage with Tsarukyan's question raises questions about his focus heading into a high-stakes lightweight bout
- Tsarukyan enters as the top-ranked lightweight contender, giving the fight significant divisional weight
- The style matchup pits two high-volume wrestlers against each other, with Covington holding a wrestling edge on paper but Tsarukyan matching him in takedown rate and striking accuracy
