There’s a valid reason behind the adage: “Put your money where your mouth is”, but it seems like Trump and MAGA supporter Colby Covington didn’t quite catch the memo and learned the hard way.
Leading up to the UFC 245 welterweight title showdown between defending champion, Kamaru Usman and Covington, the challenger, who is a well-known Trump supporter made fun of Usman’s Nigerian heritage by questioning what his family has done for the United States since they immigrated.
He even went as far as claiming Usman wasn’t born in Nigeria. Nicknamed “The Nigerian Nightmare,” Usman and his family immigrated from Nigeria to Arlington, Texas, when he was eight years old.
After their intense back and forth, the two finally faced off in the Octagon on Sunday where Usman retained his title after literally shutting Covington up by breaking his jaw and eventually knocking him out in the fifth round.
A friend of Donald Trump Jr., Covington’s hopes of dethroning the champion and subsequently visiting the White House to present the title to the president was thwarted.
During the post-fight press conference, Usman was asked about his challenger’s antics and the chanting of “USA” by his fans to intimidate him, to which he gave a very intelligent and subtle reply.
“What you talking about? They were chanting USA for me,” he started.
“Let’s be honest. I’ve said it time and time again: I’m more American than him. I am what it means to be an American. I’m an immigrant that came here and worked my ass off tirelessly to get to the top, and I’m still prevailing. So that’s what it means to be an American,” he added.
“It’s not necessarily just because you’re born here, you feel privileged is what it means to be an American. No. I told you none of these guys work harder than me. That’s what it means to be an American. I work my ass off, and I’m going to continue to work my ass off and obviously with good integrity.
“I don’t have to walk around like a punk and say these certain things that are going to abuse the whole country or abuse the whole world and talk about people and religions – things like that. I don’t have to. I’m going to walk with integrity because at the end of the day, I want everyone that’s watching me, every eye that’s on me, to look at me and say, ‘You know what, that’s what we want to be, that’s the example that we like.’ And so, I’m more American than him. So, when they were chanting ‘USA,’ you damn sure better believe that was because of me.”
Covington’s injury seemed serious as he had to get his jaw wired shut after the fight. Asked if it was a case of poetic justice, Usman smiled and said: “Eh, you said it, right on the money.”
“It’s unfortunate he has to go and wire that jaw shut. He said a lot of things, and you have to back it up. He was humble … I’d like to think he’s humble. I wish him all the best.”
Usman started wrestling in High- School and continued throughout college. He made his professional MMA debut in November 2012 and compiled a record of 5–1, competing for several regional promotions before trying out for The Ultimate Fighter in early 2015.
