Colby Covington expects to make history with Donald Trump Jr. at UFC on ESPN
A year ago UFC fighter Colby Covington visited the Trumps. Now the Trumps will reportedly return the favor.
Covington, the former interim welterweight champion, celebrated the belt “how a real American should,” he said, and visited President Donald Trump in the White House last August. He was the first UFC title winner to visit the White House for a championship.
When Covington takes on Robbie Lawler as the headliner at UFC on ESPN 5’s event Saturday night, the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., will reportedly be in attendance.
Covington told MMA Junkie the news on Wednesday.
"I can confirm this. I'm making history in this sport.
I'll be breaking more history this weekend when I have the first family front row at my fight. That'll be the first time in history a fighter brings the first family to a UFC fight, so you never know what 'Chaos' is going to do."
The fighter said he invited the president, but his son will be going instead. The White House did not immediately respond to MMA Junkie to confirm the visit. In May he visited Trump Tower in New York City to see the Trump sons, Donald Jr. and Eric.
It was truly a humbling experience to stop by @trumptower and spend some time with @donaldjtrumpjr and @erictrump! Can’t thank you enough for all you and your family do for this country! #MAGA #Trump2020 #fleetweeknyc #greatamericanwinningmachine #AmericasChamp #PeoplesChamp pic.twitter.com/ETNhV4BNYl
— Colby Covington (@ColbyCovMMA) May 23, 2019
Covington is an unabashed supporter of Trump and commonly wears the red “Make America Great Again” hat. In a Q&A with Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim ahead of the fight, Covington said other fighters take issue at weigh-ins when they see him wearing the MAGA hat.
They hate it. They hate him so they try to talk trash to me. But he’s a winner just like me. Some people are addicted to drugs, some people are addicted to sex. Me and Trump, we are addicted to winning. That’s our drug of choice.
President Trump has a long history with the UFC and MMA. He lent his name to the MMA promotion named “Affliction” in July 2008 (it later folded) and was inducted to the New Jersey State Martial Arts Hall of Fame in 2013 as a “visionary.”
When MMA was still illegal in many states, Trump hosted UFC events at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. It began a decades-long friendship with UFC president Dana White, who also visited him in the Oval Office last summer.
Covington has a shot at the welterweight title on the horizon. He won the interim title but never fought title-holder Tyron Woodley to drop the interim part. If Covington (14-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) defeats Lawler (28-13 MMA, 13-7 UFC), White said he’ll be next in line for a shot at the title again.
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