When Colby Covington sparked controversy after mocking Matt Hughes' train accident

Colby Covington sparked controversy when he brought up former two-time 170-pound division titleholder Matt Hughes' near-death train accident during a post-fight interview over two years ago.

Covington defeated Robbie Lawler via unanimous decision (50-44 and 50-45 x2) at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. After the bout, he told play-by-play commentator Jon Anik that Lawler should have learned a lesson from his friend Hughes.

The 48-year-old UFC Hall of Famer sustained a serious head injury after a train collided with his truck at a rail crossing in June 2017. He remained unconscious for days and suffered lifelong complications. 'Chaos' made the remark in regards to this.

“Let us talk about the lesson we learned tonight. It was a strong lesson that Robbie should have learned from his good buddy Matt Hughes. You stay off the tracks when the train is coming through, junior. Does not matter if it is the Trump train or the Colby train, get out of the way,” said Covington.

Watch Colby Covington and Robbie Lawler speak to Jon Anik following their main event below:

Several mixed martial arts fans and pundits slammed Covington for taunting 'Ruthless' at the expense of Hughes back then. But the No.1 UFC welterweight contender stood by his statement.

Hughes gave a response to Covington a few days later. He insisted that a reference to his accident could have been avoided.

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Colby Covington is scheduled to face former best friend Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272 next month

Colby Covington and No.6-ranked UFC welterweight superstar Jorge Masvidal were best friends, roommates and training partners at the American Top Team (ATT) gym a few years ago.

However, things took an ugly turn as the duo were involved in a big spat and Covington left ATT for the MMA Masters facility. He was involved in a long-lasting feud with Masvidal and other teammates like Dustin Poirier and Joanna Jedrzejczyk as well.

Now, 'Chaos' and 'Gamebred' have an opportunity to settle things inside the octagon as they get set to main event UFC 272 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 5, 2022.

Here is the official poster for the UFC 272: Colby Covington vs. Jorge Masvidal pay-per-view:

Covington holds a 16-3 record in his professional MMA career so far, while Masvidal is currently 35-15.