Colby Covington reveals exact reason behind his American Top Team departure

Colby Covington has not been in the Octagon since the final PPV of 2019 - UFC 245. In the main event, his rivalry with Kamaru Usman ended after he lost via TKO in the closing minute of the fight.

It was regarded as one of the best fights that year and certainly a perfect way to close out the PPV part of 2019 for the UFC. It's no secret that Colby Covington's antics have landed him in hot water, whether it was with Dana White, his fellow American Top Team members, or the staff.

In an interview with BJPENN.com Radio, he said that he has the utmost respect for Dan Lambert, but felt that the 'No trash talk' rule implemented by him in ATT was the last straw:

“Yeah. That was completely the ending of our relationship as a team and being a part of that team anymore. You’re not going to tell me what I can and cannot do. Your team’s name is American Top Team. Just think about that for a second, American Top Team. What are our constitutional rights in America? Do we not have freedom of speech?”

He felt that it wasn't fair to try to take away someone's voice and their platform:

“It’s not fair to try and take someone’s voice away and their platform and try and tell them what they can and cannot do, especially in the fighting business. It’s already an ugly business as it is. Then to be mad about some words when we’re getting locked in a cage to kill each other in our underwear on Saturday nights, it’s just a little pathetic, and it’s not right, but I have no ill will towards it. I think Dan had to do what he had to do, and he felt that it was right to implement that policy for the team"

Will Colby Covington thrive outside of ATT?

Whatever one may think of Colby Covington, there's no denying his status as one of the top 2-3 Welterweights in the world. He took it to Kamaru Usman as few have before and lost only at the very end.

It's going to be interesting to see which direction his career goes. Tyron Woodley might be off the table as an opponent following his loss to Gilbert Burns, but luckily for Colby Covington, the Welterweight Division is stacked enough.