5 UFC fighters whose personalities changed drastically

#2. Former interim UFC welterweight champion Colby Covington

My formal apology for #ufcsaopaulo @ufc pic.twitter.com/cwS7OTGK99

— Colby Covington (@ColbyCovMMA) October 29, 2017

There was a time when former US President Donald Trump’s biggest fan in the UFC was a humble and respectful talker. Most amazing of all was a younger Covington’s assertion that he would never partake in any drama outside of the octagon. That all began to drastically change after his unanimous decision win over Dong Hyun Kim in June 2017.

A suddenly much louder, much more aggressive Covington put the UFC welterweight division on notice in his post-fight interview. He cranked things up a notch following his decision win over Demian Maia in October 2017. A furious Covington buried the Brazilian audience and never looked back.

In the years since, Covington has ragged on every one and thing from UFC president Dana White to Michael Bisping’s prosthetic eye. He has brought personal lives and politics into his rivalries with the likes of Tyron Woodley and Kamaru Usman as well.

The incredibly brash, disrespectful former ATT standout has never been a bigger deal than he is now. Despite a lengthy break from fighting over pay disputes and other issues from 2018-2019, Covington continues to get huge opportunities.

Without having even fought since his TKO win over Tyron Woodley in September 2020, Covington is getting another crack at the gold. One can’t help but feel the former collegiate wrestling champ’s attention-grabbing ways had something to do with netting the Usman rematch so easily.

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#1. Former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor

hey baby pic.twitter.com/bnRukehpNZ

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) August 23, 2021

Watching Conor McGregor go from hard grafting two-division champion in Cage Warriors all the way to multi-millionaire Twitter troll of late has been a whirlwind. In between those two phases of his career, McGregor ascended the featherweight and lightweight mountains in the UFC.

‘The Notorious’ lit up MMA with his charismatic self-promotion and often hilarious trash talk. One of the sport’s biggest over achievers, McGregor constantly sought out new challenges and new accolades in the octagon.

At UFC 205, McGregor became the first fighter to hold two UFC titles at once when he defeated then-lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez. At the peak of his powers, McGregor took an extended absence from MMA for his 2017 superfight with Floyd Mayweather.

By the time he finally did return for UFC 229, McGregor was a different animal. His trash talk towards Khabib Nurmagomedov was some of the most personal and disrespectful ever seen in the sport. He took things even further by bringing up manager Ali Abdelaziz’s checkered past.

All of the mind games proved counter-productive for the increasingly volatile McGregor. Nurmagomedov submitted him with a neck crank in the fourth round. After another lengthy absence, McGregor returned with a brand new demeanor for UFC 246 against Donald Cerrone.

In a total 180, McGregor was now a more level-headed, noticeably more mild-mannered fighter with a strong sense of good sportsmanship. This new good guy image continued to grow until his UFC 257 loss to Dustin Poirier. McGregor reverted back to the explosive, derogatory figure he’d been heading into UFC 229 soon after the defeat.

Since his UFC 264 injury, McGregor has been relentless in his insults to the likes of Khabib and Daniel Cormier online. When he returns next year, it’s anyone’s guess which of his many personas he’ll run with.