Colby Covington’s Still Blaming Marc Goddard For UFC 245 Loss, Says “Banana Peel” Behind Late Knockdown

Colby Covington had been keeping a fairly low profile since he was stopped by Kamaru Usman at UFC 245 in December. But, in a new interview “Chaos” did, the fighter continued to insist referee Marc Goddard was responsible for his crushing defeat.

Covington is still blaming Goddard for the loss

Covington and Usman went to war on December 14th, but in the fifth round of the thrilling fight, the champion stopped “Chaos” with a series of strikes. Immediately after the loss, Covington claimed referee Marc Goddard gave Usman breaks for “fake injuries” and legal blows, not fouls. The 31-year-old also argued that Goddard stopped the fight early.

Well, now Covington has begun doing interviews again, and recently he spoke with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani. The brash fighter stuck by his previous criticisms of Goddard, as here’s some of what Covington had to say (quotes via MMA Junkie):

“Let’s talk about the fifth round,” Covington said. “I’m beating his ass again. I’ve won the whole entire fight. The fight is mine. They’re about to wrap the welterweight championship around my waist. Then all of a sudden, I slip on a banana peel and I’m getting hit in the back of the head. Marc Goddard is seeing this right in front of his face. I’m getting hit in the back in the head.

“Go look at the video in the fifth round. I took four shots to the back of the head. I’m completely coherent and I cover up the back of my head. When I cover up the back of my head, he calls the fight. I stand right up and I protest. ‘What are you doing? Why are you calling the fight? I’m winning the whole entire fight. There’s less than a minute left in the fight and you see a foul in front of your face and you don’t call it. Then when you don’t see a foul in front of your face, you give him time and throw him a life raft in a river when he’s drowning.’ That’s why he’s named ‘Marc Not-so-Goodard.’”

Leading up to UFC 245, a lot of people questioned whether Colby would keep up with the “Chaos” persona, if he lost. Well, it seems pretty clear the answer is yes.

Now, it’s worth noting that some people did argue that the fight might have been stopped a bit prematurely, and others also scrutinized some of the breaks Goddard gave Usman. But, after the bout, the consensus was that Usman was either ahead 3-1 in rounds, or tied at 2-2. So, as a result of the knockdowns he scored in round five, and how hurt Colby was, there weren’t many people saying Covington got robbed.

Covington says his jaw wasn’t broken in bout

Another interesting development from the interview was that Colby says his jaw was not broken in the fight, as reported. “Chaos” also wants a rematch with Usman. But, it would be surprising if that happens, without Covington returning to the win column first.

Usman is expected to fight Jorge Masvidal next and recently Dana White said the fight’s being targeted for early July.