UFC News: Colby Covington Slams LeBron James, Other ‘Woke Athletes’ In Post-Fight Interview

Colby Covington did not mince words following his fifth-round TKO win over Tyron Woodley at UFC Fight Night on Saturday, as he took aim at Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and other socially conscious sports figures during his post-fight interview.

As quoted by Complex, Covington celebrated his victory by cutting an interview where he predicted that Donald Trump will defeat Democratic opponent Joe Biden in November, en route to a second term as president. He then dedicated his win to first responders and members of the military, thanking them for their continued service amid the coronavirus pandemic and the various protests that have broken out across the U.S. in recent months.

“You keep us safe, not these woke athletes,” Covington continued. “I’m sick of these woke athletes and these spineless cowards like LeBron James.”

Covington’s comments created a stir on social media, as the likes of Sporting News senior editor of combat sports Andreas Hale tweeted that the welterweight fighter is an “insufferable” individual, as cited on Complex‘s report. Another Twitter user shared multiple photographs that showed examples of James’ philanthropy in action, asking Covington to “put [his] money where [his] mouth is” before he blasts the Lakers forward.

The 32-year-old also had his share of supporters on social media, including conservative commentator Candace Owens, who tweeted her praise for Covington in a post that can be viewed here.

“Congratulations to my friend @ColbyCovMMA for destroying Woodley in the ring, and doing it on behalf of first responders, military, our police, and a Donald Trump presidency. Great win, and way to call Lebron James out for being a spineless athlete.”

Owens concluded her tweet with the words “TEAM AMERICAAAA” and three American flag emoji.

As of late, James has been using his platform to spread awareness of the Black Lives Matter movement and call for justice for Black police shooting victims such as Breonna Taylor and Jacob Blake. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the four-time NBA MVP was reportedly one of the driving forces in the locker room as his Lakers — as well as their crosstown rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers — were the only teams to vote in favor of boycotting the rest of the 2019-20 season after Blake was shot in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Covington’s verbal tirade against James on Saturday night was not the first time he called out other professional athletes during a post-fight interview. Following his interim welterweight championship victory in June 2018, he called Philadelphia’s NFL team the “Filthadelphia Eagles” and blasted them for “disrespecting our flag and kneeling for the national anthem,” according to The Washington Times. This was in reference to the decision of multiple Eagles players earlier that year to turn down Trump’s invitation to visit the White House as Super Bowl champions.