Colby Covington has already visualized how Saturday night is going to end at the T-Mobile Arena at UFC 296, and it involves a former US president wrapping a belt around his waist.
Covington arrived for media day wearing a Donald Trump suit and shades as he addressed the press ahead of his welterweight title challenge in Las Vegas.
"Chaos" will take on defending welterweight champion Leon Edwards in the main event on Saturday night, and said that he plans on dragging "Rocky" into deep water and breaking him during their five-round title clash.
"It was the first fight with (Kamaru) Usman where I saw he had that quitter in him," Covington said of Edwards.
"I'm going to bring out the dog in me, and the quitter in him. I know he's got it deep down inside. Even in the second fight, he had it, too. His coach had to wake him up: 'Leon, Leon, you're quitting. Don't give up, mah-mah-mah-mah.' He’s a mumbling idiot, and Saturday night I'm going to bring that quitter back out of him."
When Covington steps into the Octagon on fight night, it will be 651 days removed from his last fight, a unanimous decision victory over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272. That bout was in March 2022, and despite detractors suggesting that length of inactivity didn't warrant a title shot, Covington had a counter-argument ready to go.
“There's a reason why I'm in this position," he stated.
"(It's) because I say 'yes, yes, yes,' to every single fight. I've never said 'no.' There's no other guy in the history of this sport that said more yes' to a fight than Colby 'Chaos' Covington.
"Colby's a 'yes man.' He loves this company. He'll say yes to any fight. I just want to make the biggest and best fights for the fans and for the company and that's what I'll do when I'm champion."
Covington also said that he'd hoped that Trump could walk out to the Octagon with him as part of his entrance, but security requirements around the former commander-in-chief made that an impossibility. But he did reveal that, if he's successful on fight night, the former president will be on hand to wrap the belt around his waist.
"Unfortunately, Donald Trump won't be able to walk out with me, but he'll be there cageside," Covington said.
"I'll get my hug before I enter that Octagon. I'll see him cageside (and) he'll be putting that belt around my waist Saturday night."
