UFC 272 headliner and controversial welterweight Colby Covington claims he turned down an invitation to train at American Top Team (ATT) two years after leaving the Florida-based camp due to ‘terrible energy’.
‘Chaos’ left ATT in 2020 amidst ongoing drama between Covington and then-teammates Joanna Jedrzejczyk, UFC 272 opponent Jorge Masvidal, and former UFC interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier.
Covington has since found a new home at MMA Masters in Miami, Florida, and he has no intention of ever returning to Dan Lambert’s ATT.
“Yeah, I got invited back by Dan and Conan,” Covington told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto ahead of tonight’s welterweight showdown against Masvidal (h/t Curtis Calhoun of MMA News). “Yeah, go ask them. I got texts, if you want to see the receipts I can show you. I have them, they invited me back. I didn’t want to go back. It wasn’t a good situation for me anymore. The last two years of training there, just all drama. Terrible energy. I couldn’t have any focus in my career, there was no direction, nothing. Just, it was terrible. It was draining me and I wasn’t getting the best out of myself. What was sacrificed was my training and my evolution as a fighter.”
“Now, I rid myself of that drama and all that stuff, I have a great camp that actually cares about me,” he continued. “It’s not about money, it’s not about paychecks, it’s about developing us as a fighter. Evolving. Taking the steps to get better every single day and I’ve seen the growth.”
Covington will take on former teammate and roommate turned welterweight rival Masvidal in tonight’s UFC 272 headliner at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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