Colby Covington picked up a dominant finish win over newcomer Max Griffin on the UFC 202 preliminary card this past weekend. He was able to repeatedly take Griffin down throughout the first two rounds and landed enough ground-and-pound in the final round for the referee to wave the bout off.
Covington has now won two in a row. His last loss came to the hands of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3 winner Warlley Alves at UFC 190 last year. And that is also currently his only loss.
But Covington claims he fought the Brazilian injured — not because he wanted to, but because he had to.
“I showed up. I was broke,” Covington admitted during his UFC 202 post-fight scrum (which can be watched above). “I had to show up for that fight against Warlley Alves with a fractured rib because I was broke. I had debt. I had to pay bills, so I had to show up and get my show money.”
Covington’s purse for his fight against Griffin at UFC 202 was $42,000, which includes a $21,000 win bonus, according to MMAjunkie.com. This does not include Reebok sponsorship money, or any “locker room” bonuses often handed out by the UFC.
Covington’s comments follow the recent formation of the Professional Fighters Association, a new organization with the goal of launching a union for UFC fighters, as well as plans regarding the Muhammad Ali Act being extended to mixed martial arts.
UFC 202 took place live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Aug. 20. In the main event, Conor McGregor defeated Nate Diaz in a rematch.