Justin Gaethje expresses his disdain for Colby Covington but admits “he’s a good fighter”

UFC lightweight contender Justin Gaethje expressed his disdain for welterweight Colby Covington but admitted that “he’s a good fighter.”

Gaethje is set to take on Michael Chandler at UFC 268 next month in an important fight between two of the top-five ranked lightweights in the world. In the main event of the card, UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman fights Covington in a rematch. For Gaethje, he is teammates with Usman training under coach Trevor Wittman. So Gaethje is invested in this main event between Usman and Covington more than most people are.

In the past, Gaethje and Covington have not seen eye-to-eye. However, while Gaethje despises Covington as a person, he admits that he is a good MMA fighter. Speaking to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto in a recent interview, Gaethje said the following about Covington.

Tell us how you really feel, Justin 👀

(via @bokamotoespn) pic.twitter.com/Gh4bsTMnrm

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 13, 2021

“I dislike Colby like so much, so I wanna see Kamaru Usman really put it on him. But Covington’s a damn good fighter, that little f*ck. Piece of sh*t person but he’s a good fighter,” Gaethje admitted.

Gaethje and Covington are in two different weight classes, so it seems difficult to imagine that these two would fight inside the Octagon and settle their differences anytime soon. That being said, they will likely encounter each other next month at UFC 268, and it will be interesting to see if any words are exchanged between the two fighters. It is clear that Gaethje is among the numerous UFC fighters who cannot stand Covington, but he also needs to stay focused on the task at hand, which is his upcoming fight against Chandler. Similarly, Covington needs to stay focused on the prize, which is the UFC welterweight title that Usman currently holds and which he will battle for next month in New York City.

Do you feel the same way about Colby Covington that Justin Gaethje does?