Colby Covington previews welterweight main event fight vs. Leon Edwards at UFC 296 | ESPN MMA Brett Okamoto sits down to …

[Music] Co man thanks for inviting us out here to Florida why don’t you tell us where we are at and where you wanted to do this interview yeah probably most Fighters that you talk to can’t even find an Uber ride to get here but I’m showing up in a helicopter so I think that shows who who who runs business around here and who’s the biggest and best business in the UFC welterweight division right now so we’re over at Trump International God bless president Trump for allowing me to come here and shoot this e ESPN one-on-one interview with you at Trump International it’s an honor to have him but that’s going to be a great fight and I’ll be there I’ll be there with Dana White and we will make our walk but uh I think you’re going to do great champ and he’s a much better fighter than a gol right how crazy is life for you now and when you think about where you came from and and the kind of things that you’re doing now like what comes to mind just hard to imagine hard to to believe this is my reality like I wake up in the morning you know I take a helicopter from Miami to come up to West Palm you know first person I’m greeted by is the president you know one of the most famous people alive ever and you know he’s done such great things for the country just from where I came from a small little Eeny town in Springfield Oregon thirst in Oregon to be here you know on the biggest and brightest stage and hanging out with you know the most prominent person in America just it doesn’t feel real it’s it’s hard to imagine sometimes but I’m blessed and I’m here for a reason I know this is God’s plan can you tell me a little bit about Springfield Oregon like describe it for me a little bit describe it yeah probably like 100,000 people in it very small uh my graduating class like 200 people my senior year uh just a small suburb town you know right outside the mountains of Oregon and uh just uh not a lot of people make it out of there most people either stay in town work at the Mill working basic income you know over in the small town of Springfield thirst and Oregon and so to make it to this level be fighting on the grandest stages just it it’s it’s beyond me when you were a kid what did you want in life when I was a kid I always told my parents and coaches I wanted to be the best wrestler in the world but when I got to middle school and high school I started thinking like hey man the best wrestler in the world that’s not going to financially set me and my family up for life where do you think that desire to be the best in the world at wrestling started like where like was that just instant or how did that come about yeah it was instant you know I think as a little kid I was a smaller little kid you know like freshman year of high school I was 100 lb so I got picked on a lot I got bullied and you know I just I always got picked on you know through middle school and elementary school kids made fun of my teeth oh you got to you got to field goal post in the middle of your your teeth cuz I had some buck teeth and so I was just like I would get this anger inside I’m like man but I would channel that energy I would go to the wrestling room and I would drill my takedowns I’d be like yeah you want to talk about my teeth and I would just drill double leg takedowns over and over hundreds hundred thousands rep repetition repetition and I would do things that most kids didn’t want to do you know they didn’t want to get sweaty they didn’t want to get bloody but I knew my dreams were more important than how I felt so I was able to push myself to get the most out of myself and so you were doing that from an early age like sort of like with anger as as a motivation huh yeah that’s exactly right Brett you know anger and and frustration that was what fueled me in the wrestling room that’s what pushed me to do the extra reps to stay you know extra hours after practice when everybody’s gone to put in the extra work to to do things that most of these kids weren’t going to be able to do so you know I definitely was fueled a lot by anger so you have your wrestling career in high school how did that go my wrestling career in high school went pretty well you know I didn’t have success until my senior year of high school you know I I hit a grow spur I think Junior to senior year where I started to feel like a man and get that man strength but you know I had a lot of resilience you know early on I didn’t have success I wasn’t like a state champion and you see a lot of these kids that get a lot of accolades as a young age and then they fizzle out cuz they lose the motivation I think me not finding success till later in high school and later in college was what really set me up to be where I’m at today because you know I had to face those trials and tribulations I had to face the setbacks and the failure but the failure never deterred me it just made me stronger it made me want it even more so I you know I got back to the wrestling room and I got back to that blue collar work ethic mentality and you know I went to the grindstone and and just committed myself to being the best I could be so when you graduated do you did you have offers or how did you decide which school you were going to go to yeah so when I graduated I I had a bunch of offers Iowa Iowa State Penn State Oregon state is where I ended up but uh you know I I ended up going the Junior College route because I wanted you know a little bit of time for growth I wanted to I didn’t want to rush into the division one you know uh landscape cuz that’s the best of the best those guys are just Killers so I wanted to be able to you know kind of grow my way up and and they had a great prestigious program and Iowa Central Community College it’s done a lot for us you know they’ve had guys like John Bones Jones Cain Velasquez Joe stto another roommate of mine so I wanted to go there have a developmental couple years and and it was the best thing that could have happen cuz then I transferred to Oregon State with three years and I was able to achieve All-American honors as a division one athlete I don’t think I’ve ever heard you really talk about some of the things that happened in college that were setbacks um because prior to going to Oregon State you went to Iowa right yep can you talk about what happened at Iowa yeah so you know when I went to Iowa it was definitely an adjustment period period cuz I went from Oregon to the Midwest which just a completely different lifestyle in the corn fields and you know I didn’t have a lot of friends around I grew up in Oregon my family was all in Oregon so it was an adjustment getting comfortable in Iowa by myself becoming a man where hey man everything’s in your own hands your destiny is in your own hands whatever you want to create it’s going to be up to you now it’s not your mom or dad making you breakfast in the morning doing your laundry you got to do it on yourself so you know when I transferred to University of Iowa I was a lost kid to be honest I was starting to get a little bit of uh clout like I was the top recruit going to Iowa and I was this guy that was supposed to fill in for this National Champion shoes and I was going to be the second coming and a guy named Dan Gable had brought me in and he recruited me to wrestle under Tom BRS and I just remember those guys believing in me but I was so immature at the time like I didn’t you know I didn’t make good decisions but just like you said no one’s perfect you know we all make mistakes so I had to have some failures and some setbacks during that time to go on this course to where I am today and I believe God did that for a reason I think God did some things to me you know I I got in a little trouble you know I I had a a drunken driving incident you know a DUI and that’s why I had to leave Iowa when I got that DUI that was the wakeup call I needed in my life like I’ve never gotten in trouble I’ve never done things in my life but here I am as a kid going to Iowa and and now the whole world wants me you know I’m I’m this star wrestler when you’re a wrestler at Iowa you’re bigger than any sport bigger than the football bigger than the basketball you are the star you know cuz Dan Gable created a legacy at Iowa wrestling that everybody knows Iowa wrestling is the best team in the country so the interaction and the reception that people had for me it just they gave me too much you know the Bars were like hey come you can have whatever you want free drinks bring any girls you get whatever you want anything so I was like whoa I never had like Celebrity Status before so I started to feel invincible and you know I made some bad decisions but if I wouldn’t have made those decisions I wouldn’t be on this path that I’m on today so I’m thankful that I did that and you know it corrected my life and here I am and last question on that like uh like you say so much media attention is given to those kids when they’re wrestling when you’re doing things well and then I’m sure that when when the DUI happened I’m sure that there was a lot of media attention around that like how what was the Fallout sort of for you just internally dealing with like all this negative attention that was placed on you yeah it was it was uh it was tough to process cuz I was so young and not mature at that time you know and 19 old kid you know not that not not even grown up just a little kid you know just not making good decisions and it was tough it was very hard because here I was all my whole life all I wanted to do is wrestle for Iowa wrestling under Dan Gable and Tom BR and then now I’m like a failure to those guys they they they lost hope in me they gave up on me essentially you know they didn’t think that I could deserve a second chance they said hey nope that was the one chance you got that’s it so you know I think that was a little harsh I think they should have not given up on me so easily I think they should have realized I’m I’m a 19-year-old kid we make mistakes tell me one person in this room today that hasn’t made a mistake or is perfect the only perfect person in this world is God so for someone to to just lose hope after one hopeless night like I thought it was a little cruel I thought it was unfair but you know life’s not fair and and that’s what H needed to happen for me to be on the journey I’m on today and it ended up being a blessing disguise because I went back home to Oregon State University I got back to my roots I got back to my family I was wasn’t around the best coaches the best team but I had my family and my friends around me and that was more important than than having some Fame coaches and and fame wrestling room around me so you know I’m happy it happened I’m happy the journey turned out the way it did because I know I wouldn’t be here today fighting for a UFC World title again if it didn’t happen why do you why do you say that just just because of how good it was to just get back to your own your own sort of environment in Oregon yeah I think so getting back to my own environment being comfortable around my people but also having to face massive failure like that was worse than losing a wrestling match that was like I thought I lost my life I thought it was over I was like dude no one’s going to ever let me wrestle I’m not going to ever be able to go do anything I’m not going to get an opportunity ever again because of a a disappointing night where I made a mistake so you know I’m very thankful it happened cuz it it lit a fuel in my soul that that really helped me to dig deep and and find out who I truly was and what I truly wanted and you know after that day you know I vouged I wasn’t going to drink again I was just going to K commit myself to being the best wrestler and then obviously after I was done with wrestling being the best fighter I could ever be so I wouldn’t be here today with without that situation happening I I know it and that’s right actually I think like you and I talked before you don’t drink at all right don’t drink at all maybe a glass of red wine just cuz it’s good for the heart you know and you know my my coaches have always vouched for it saying hey it’s good for you you know to have a glass of wine here and there but nothing more than that I don’t I don’t drink you know I I gave up the party lifestyle in college because I wanted to commit myself and I wanted to be a 365 247 fighter I didn’t want to be a part-time fighter I wanted to be a full-time fighter and commit my life to being the best I could be in this career over the course of your uh wrestling career but then also um I mean the UFC one is pretty well documented but in your own words what would you say is like do people want you to win like and getting going back to uh the college wrestling days were you a guy that people cheered for or were you a guy that people wanted to see lose um definitely people wanted to see me lose cuz you know I had that Brash style I wasn’t afraid to push someone’s head in the mat and be mean you know I wrestled mean I was very physical I got in people’s face and I let it know it was going to be a dog fight if you beat me you were going to walk off the mat hang in your head you weren’t going to keep your head held high looking me in the eyes cuz you knew I took your soul mentally like I you might have beat me physically by points but deep down in your soul you know that if this thing kept going and there wasn’t a time limit I I’d be able to do whatever I want to you so everybody wanted to see me lose you know everybody’s hated me I’ve always been the villain the bad guy so it’s okay you know I like playing that role it’s it’s a lot funner that way is it a lot funner I mean because now you kind of like you you have you’ve had this chaos thing going for so long but now I think you’re kind of calling yourself like the people’s champ as well and it does seem like people have come around on you like they like your hard-nosed style they like the cardio you know they like the way that you’ve carried yourself a bit um like in a perfect world would you be the people’s champ and walk out to cheers and or do you like the chaos and the booze I I love the booze you know I I love people telling me that I can’t do something or or doubting me you know I think the doubters have always been my fuel for motivation proving them wrong so everybody likes to to put someone in a box and say what they’re capable of when they have no idea their work eth it they know have no idea the sacrifices they’re making every day to to achieve their dreams and goals so people can say whatever they want everybody has an opinion in this world and and most of the time they’re like and they stink why do you think that they’re like that why why don’t people want you here in this spot they’re jealous and they’re envious and that’s the simple truth you know they wish they had the relationship they had with the president they wish they could do the things I do they wish they could fly in helicopters from Miami to West Palm Beach on a day’s notice so you know they’re jealous that’s all it is you know I’m not really worried about anybody else’s opinions but you know it is nice for some fans that kind of come around me now and realize the entertainment that I’m bringing to them and you know they pay their harder money to to watch us so you know I want to give them a show every time I’m out there not just inside the Octagon but outside too I want everything to be just a show where they feel like it’s a story and and they want to buy into it because I love the UFC and I love doing good business for them we haven’t seen you since March of last year you beat hor mazol um and you’ve done a couple interviews here and there but just uh what what what was cuz that was a big opportunity right that was a grudge match he’s obviously a big name like yourself as a main event so it’s like that’s a kind of opportunity that can really sort of you know benefit your career what what was I guess uh what’ you take out of that fight did you did you you feel like you really gained something you gained everything that you wanted out of that big kind of uh like platform yeah definitely you know it was it was an easy fight five rounds of domination 5043 in a soda you know been big brother in that guy my whole life he’s never won a second of any round off me so just another dominating performance especially coming off the the a three- Monon turnaround from beating uh Marty in Madison Square Garden I thought I came back and rallied and won the last three rounds you know I dropped him in the fourth so you know I feel like I beat him that night and just cuz they didn’t put the belt around me and three judges cage sh didn’t score the fight for me they gave him you know three rounds to two against me you know that’s okay you know that that those aren’t the people that are going to determine my value and my worth on this planet you know so if the fans are impressed by my work that’s all that matters to me I feel like I am the champion you know who who has what fighter in history has the President coming out there to greet them what fighter in history has went to the White House and hung out with the sitting president in the Oval Office What fighters headlining MSG headlining T-Mobile Arena no one can claim to what I’ve been able to do in my my career so at the end of the day I am a champion and I am the champion and I’m coming December 6 to to reclaim and solidify my legacy as I mentioned we haven’t seen you since March of last year what have you been doing and has it been tough not fighting for 18 months it’s been extremely tough because as soon as I got done with that fight with George and March I I I went backstage to Hunter Campbell backstage and I said Hunter I want to fight again in June and July get me back in there I need to fight like I’m in my Prime right now I want to go capitalize they were looking at setting up that fight with that mother kamad jayv but he he’s unprofessional he’s you know he’s a clown he’s out there laughing when he’s missing weight by 10 PBS making a fool of this publicly traded beautiful company of the UFC making a fool laughing while you’re ruining their main event pay-per-view so he’s not accountable he’s not someone they can trust in that Spotlight and they gave him the easiest fight in the division a guy the soy boy the washed up Nate Diaz that that shouldn’t even be fighting anymore the guy can’t even talk straight he’s not even coherent anymore they gave him the easiest fight to set up to get this big money fight with Kobe chaos Covington he couldn’t pass the test he was afraid plain and simple so he ran away from me to middleweight and you know it sucks cuz they were trying to set that fight up so that’s what’s been the delay is is other Fighters not agreeing to the fights and and not doing business for the UFC you think I want to sit out 18 months I’m in my Prime you think I want to sit through my prime years I I wanted to fight in in June and July right after my last fight with George it’s not my fault that I had to sit out that long it’s the other people’s fault you think Hunter Campbell Dana White would put me in this position to be the UFC welterweight uh number one Contender if I was turning down fights and sitting out 18 months no I accepted every single fight they offered kamza jayv Dustin porier whoever else they had didn’t matter I said yes yes yes never said no one time in my career so I wouldn’t be in this position if it wasn’t for me always being a Yes Man and want to be the ultimate company man you know I’m a tough son of a gun and you know December 16th I’m coming to get that BT I don’t care who’s in my way no one’s beating me in front of Donald Trump like the people who are closest to you what would they say about your journey like if I asked some of your closest family or friends what would they say about like tell me the story of kobby Covington’s rise to a UFC Championship you know they would probably say I’m the underdog kid not supposed to be here not the most talented definitely the hardest worker in the room but didn’t have a talent level but was willing to do whatever it took you know to get better and to improve and evolve my craft as a martial artist so I think a lot of people would just say he’s an underdog he’s not supposed to be here but you know God has a bigger plan for him and he’s want to do whatever it takes to to to rise up and become world champion you ever wish that you didn’t have to be the hardest worker in the room not at all I I feel like you know my purpose here on this life is is to really push myself and get the most out of myself mentally and physically phally so you know I don’t know what a day would look like if I wasn’t pushing myself to the absolute brink of exhaustion where you know I almost have to be carried out of the gym that that’s how my purpose in this life is I feel better that way and and it feels like a sense of accomplishment like this isn’t GI being given to me nothing in the UFC is being given to me it’s only being earned so to earn it the hard way it’s such a much more rewarding feeling versus being handed out like a lot of kids get these days I feel like basically every every fight pretty much since the Brazil uh situation if someone were to ask me Brett who’s the good guy who’s the bad guy in this fight like you have to pick one of the other like I’d probably label you as the bad guy in every single one this one I’m not so sure about man because like you’ll be coming off of a long layoff when you walk in in a Las Vegas Arena with a US flag around I think he might be the good guy in this one do you feel do you feel that and then how much are you looking forward to that at the end of the day this is about pleasing the fans if the fans don’t rally around you and and they don’t give you the support then UFC is not going to care for you you have to drum up that support one way or another and he hasn’t been able to do that so I’m here to rectify this division I’m here to bring 17 76 back to T-Mobile Arena and December 16th it’s going to be a show bro I promise you that awesome man I think that’s it for you for here thank you so much thanks bro appreciate every buddy