‘He still sucks’: Colby Covington reacts to Justin Gaethje’s shocking win over Ilia Topuria at UFC White House

Colby Covington dismissed Justin Gaethje's undisputed title victory at the UFC's historic White House event in June, claiming the win lacked legitimacy despite widespread acclaim for the performance.

Gaethje stopped Ilia Topuria via fourth-round corner stoppage TKO in one of the sport's most shocking upsets. While observers celebrated "The Highlight's" stunning upset, Covington remained unconvinced. "He still sucks, let's be honest," Covington told MMA Fighting. "Little duck lip Gaethje, he's still terrible. He's not a good fighter."

Covington floated unsubstantiated claims about irregularities surrounding the fight, pointing to photographs of Gaethje's hand wraps and suggesting something appeared amiss. He acknowledged his skepticism without claiming outright conspiracy, but maintained doubt about Gaethje's legitimacy as a fighter.

Analyzing the actual bout, Covington credited Topuria with control through much of the fight. Topuria nearly finished Gaethje in the second round before losing momentum. By the fourth round, Topuria's face was severely damaged, leading to the corner stoppage by his brother Alexandre. Covington speculated that Topuria's mind was not fully in the fight, attributing the former champion's focus problems to personal issues including divorce and custody matters that had become public.

Covington, who is 3-0 in RAF with victories over Luke Rockhold, Chris Weidman, and Dillon Danis, now headlines RAF 11 against Tsarukyan on FOX Nation. The 38-year-old was not selected for the White House card but expressed admiration for the event's scale, production quality, and its celebration of President Trump's birthday and American independence.