Colby Covington praises former rival ahead of UFC Hall of Fame nod: "One guy in my career I didn't want to fight"

Colby Covington recently lavished praise on one of his former foes' upcoming UFC Hall of Fame induction and opened up about their friendship. He noted that he greatly impacted his career early on and disclosed his mentality ahead of their eventual clash.

Covington hasn't shied away from sharing his feelings toward other fighters and athletes, which has resulted in him becoming a controversial figure. Despite his villainous antics when selling a fight, 'Chaos' has remained appreciative and spoken fondly of his former foe Robbie Lawler.

Lawler, who is already a member of the UFC Hall of Fame's Fight Wing, was announced as an inductee into the 2025 class for his incredible career.

During his latest appearance on Submission Radio, Covington lavished praise on Lawler for his induction and resume in the sport. 'Chaos' mentioned that the former welterweight champion was helpful to him when he began his career and disclosed that he was the only fighter he had reservations about competing against:

"There's not a more deserving guy for the Hall of Fame than Robbie Lawler. He's a first ballot Hall of Famer. He's had a big impact on my life. When I first got to Florida, we were training together, he was showing me little tips, I was helping him out with wrestling and we became good friends. So, I respect Robbie so much. He's the one guy in my career I didn't want to fight. I tried to avoid him at all costs... I love Robbie. Robbie's such a great guy."

Check out the full interview featuring Colby Covington's comments [19:30] below:

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Colby Covington says Robbie Lawler had greatest fight of all time

Colby Covington also praised Robbie Lawler for having the greatest fight of all time, when he defended his welterweight title against Rory MacDonald.

Lawler vs. MacDonald 2 lived up to the hype as fans were treated to an all-time classic, which saw 'Ruthless' earn a fifth-round TKO to retain his title.

During the same interview, Covington mentioned that he was in attendance and considers the bout the greatest in UFC history:

"Robbie Lawler is my favorite UFC fight of all time. His fight verse MacDonald, the second fight, was the greatest fight I've ever seen, especially live. I watched it live in Las Vegas." [20:14]