Colby Covington Defends Conor McGregor and Attacks Dustin Poirier

Former UFC fighter Colby Covington spoke out against retired MMA star Dustin Poirier after Poirier made jokes about Conor McGregor's injury. McGregor suffered a torn ACL — a serious knee injury — during his loss to Max Holloway at UFC 329. Poirier had said on a podcast that the injury 'couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.' Covington fired back hard, defending McGregor and insulting Poirier in a recent interview with MMA Fighting.

Covington said McGregor is the greatest star the sport of MMA has ever had. He pointed out that McGregor helped sell huge numbers of tickets and even set a record for the highest gate in UFC history. 'The excitement, the electricity he brings to a UFC arena can't be understated,' Covington said. He also said McGregor deserves to be in the UFC Hall of Fame on the very first ballot.

Covington had sharp words for Poirier, calling him a 'fraud' and a 'fake nice guy.' He said that while Poirier may seem friendly in public, he acts very differently behind the scenes. Covington brought up an incident involving Poirier at an airport in Atlanta and said McGregor had tried to give Poirier good advice about his life. He felt Poirier never took responsibility for his own mistakes and instead blamed other people.

Covington also said he believes McGregor will return to fight again someday. He said McGregor still has 'that fire' and a strong desire to compete inside the UFC. McGregor also has one fight left on his UFC contract, which gives him another reason to come back. Covington added that fighting helps keep McGregor's life structured and his mind in a healthy place.

Earlier in the week, Poirier had gone on the 'Deep Waters' podcast and made several comments about McGregor's injury. He even joked that McGregor should reach out so Poirier could beat him again once he was healed. That would be a fourth fight between the two men, with Poirier leading the series 2–1. Their last meeting was at UFC 264 in July 2021, when McGregor broke his leg in the first round.

Covington and Poirier were once teammates at a gym called American Top Team. However, Covington left the team in 2020 after arguments with Poirier and other teammates. Covington retired from the UFC in May 2025 after losing to Joaquin Buckley by TKO in December 2024. He is still competing in combat sports and will face UFC star Arman Tsarukyan at an event called RAF 11 on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.