Though they are teammates at American Top Team, Colby Covington and Dustin Poirier have had somewhat of an adversarial relationship in recent times and ‘Chaos’ ramped that up during a new interview with ESPN.
“We can’t do anything at American Top Team, that’s a place of business, that’s a sanctuary, and we respect the rules of American Top Team,” Covington had said in relation to his beef with Poirier. “So we’ve decided to put the beefs aside when we walk into American Top Team, we keep everything business.
“I can’t say what’s going to happen in the streets. He’ll probably run from me and run home to Louisiana. We know he’s running from me in the octagon, he ain’t ever gonna try and fight me in the octagon. That’s what makes the whole thing stupid. He’s a little lightweight washout and he’s trying to call out the greatest welterweight of all-time, me, myself. The whole thing from the start is just fake news and it makes no sense. The guy needs to stay in his lane, understand his role, act like a B-job level fighter and just know your role, bitch. I’m the top of the mountain right now at the welterweight division and I’m what’s saving the UFC.”
However, Covington has since issued a rare apology for calling out Poirier.
“I want to take this moment, guys, to apologize real quick,” Covington later said on Submission Radio. “I want to apologize to my teammate, Dustin Poirier. I broke a promise to my agent, Dan Lambert. And I really do feel bad, and I feel ashamed. Yesterday I was asked a question by Ariel Helwani about Dustin, my teammate, and I kind of lost my cool. I was too busy spitting fire on the world and I was so hyped up about the Woodley fight that I kind of went off on Dustin. I just want to say that I’m sorry, Dustin. You’re still my friend, we can be friends. I’m sorry about hurting your feelings and saying some words in the past that might have hurt your feelings, and you know, business goes back to usual at American Top Team.
“I want to have a civil gym and I don’t want there to be drama or beef in the gym, I want to keep things civil. And if any of these guys want to come fight me, anybody out there, you know where to find me. We can fight for a lot of money in the octagon. But why aren’t these guys talking about fighting me in the octagon? They keep talking about fighting me in the street.”
Covington was as shocked as everyone else that he was backtracking on what he’d said, but said it was all down to the loyalty he has to Lambert.
“Yeah, I never apologize and I can’t believe I’m doing it here today with you guys, but, you know, that’s how much trust I have in you guys and faith in you guys. And what made me want to apologize is, I’m really apologizing to Dan Lambert. I broke a promise. We made a promise that—he’s in a different weight class. He’s a lightweight, I’m a welterweight. Our business and our paths are not gonna cross, so there’s no reason to talk about each other. Let’s keep everything normal at the gym, and guys can interact and train, and they can hate each other, but we have enough space in the gym where there shouldn’t be any problems, let’s just handle our business.
“And I broke that promise with Dan, and I told him I wasn’t going to talk about Dustin, he’s not gonna talk about me, and I’m ashamed, man. I’m usually not like this, but you know, I’m a man to admit when I’m wrong, and I’m wrong, I made a mistake. I’m just like every other American out there, we make mistakes. and the most important thing is we learn from our mistakes, and I’ve learned from my mistake and I’m gonna be better. I’m sorry, Dan Lambert. I’m sorry, Dustin. Love you guys, American Top Team forever.”
