Colby Covington slams “coward ref” for costing him his first fight with Kamaru Usman: “Of course the guy’s gonna rig it”

Almost four years on from his UFC 245 loss to Kamaru Usman, Colby Covington still blames Marc Goddard.

‘Chaos’ is currently on the sidelines, waiting for his fight with Leon Edwards to be booked. Last defeating Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272 last March, the potential title shot has been controversial. However, Dana White has been steadfast in booking Colby Covington vs. ‘Rocky’ later this year.

Earlier this week at a Turning Point USA press conference, the former interim champion was asked about a future trilogy with Kamaru Usman. The two famously fought at UFC 245, as well as UFC 269, with Colby Covington coming up short in both attempts for gold. However, the welterweight has always targeted referee Marc Goddard as a major reason why he lost in 2019.

At the presser, Colby Covington again targeted Marc Goddard’s performance at UFC 245. The welterweight contender opined that the referee was biased towards Kamaru Usman that night in 2019. Furthermore, the fighter explained that Goddard missed multiple fouls, likely intentionally, due to his conservative political views.

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“I think that’s probably the fight that I want the most, because I know I was cheated out of those fights,” Colby Covington said. “The first fight, I kick [Usman] in the liver…He calls the nut shot. He takes a five-minute break, he gets a five-minute break to recover. I’m freaking out, losing my energy, not even concentrating on the fight, ’cause I thought I won the fight.” (h/t MMA News)

He continued, “He was ready to shut down, the coward ref – who’s anti-Brexit, Marc Goddard. Guy hates America, hates frickin’ everything I stand for, for conservative values. So of course the guy’s gonna rig it and call the bad, fake fouls against me. The guy’s poking me in the eyes, and the fight just keeps going. I was cheated out of the first fight.”

What do you make of these comments? Do you believe Marc Goddard played a role in Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington?