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Colby Covington on Donald Trump Calling Khabib Nurmagomedov His Favorite UFC Fighter

Colby Covington explains why it "made sense" for Donald Trump to name Russia's Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Christopher De Santiago

via @ColbyCovMMA - X

When Donald Trump was asked by Adin Ross who some of his favorite UFC fighters were, one name came up: Khabib Nurmagomedov— not Colby Covington, the former interim champion thought to be a shoo-in for the president elect's favor.

The 45th and soon-to-be 47th U.S. President's answer may have come as a surprise considering Khabib isn't American but from the mountains of Dagestan, Russia, but Trump has a lot of respect for the former lightweight champion, especially after meeting him face-to-face earlier this year at UFC 302, where he agreed to stop the ongoing conflict in Palestine.

Covington On Trump Picking Khabib

Snubbed for Nurmagomedov, how did that sit with Colby Covington, the first champion to be invited to The White House?

"He didn't say that Khabib was his favorite fighter," Covington said at UFC Tampa media day on Wednesday. "He just asked, who are some of your favorite fighters? He had saw Khabib the weekend before, so he's giving a shoutout to him."

"We want good relations with Russia, so it made sense to go that route. We want peace in the Middle East. We want peace around the world. We don't want Russia going after Ukraine. We need more peace. So, I'm happy."

There's arguably no bigger Trump supporter in the UFC than Covington, who put his interim championship on Trump's desk in the Oval Office back in 2017.

Covington: "I'm One Of His Favorite Fighters..."

Since then, Covington has maintained his relationship with the president-elect as well as his family, from receiving a phone call of congratulations after a win over Tyron Woodley to having Trump cageside for his undisputed title fight at UFC 296 his last time out against Leon Edwards.

"He has a lot of favorite fighters that he likes. I'm one of his favorite fighters," Covington said of Trump. "He invites me to Mara-a-Lago sitting next to him on election night. [Baron Trump] introduced me to Elon Musk for Thanksgiving..."

Colby Covington on Donald Trump Calling Khabib Nurmagomedov His Favorite UFC Fighter
UFC's Colby Covington. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Colby Covington returns this weekend in the main event of UFC Tampa, where he takes on surging contender Joaquin Buckley.

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Christopher De Santiago
CHRISTOPHER DE SANTIAGO

Christopher De Santiago is a 22 year-old journalist from Gainesville, Texas with years of experience covering MMA.

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