![Colby Covington poses on the scale during the UFC Fight Night official weigh-in at the DoubleTree Hotel on August 02, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/mma/2019/08/02/TELEMMGLPICT000205432346_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqqVzuuqpFlyLIwiB6NTmJwfCmFhq-Sh9AsFJI3m5Wt2w.jpeg?imwidth=680)
![Colby Covington poses on the scale during the UFC Fight Night official weigh-in at the DoubleTree Hotel on August 02, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/mma/2019/08/02/TELEMMGLPICT000205432346_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqqVzuuqpFlyLIwiB6NTmJwfCmFhq-Sh9AsFJI3m5Wt2w.jpeg?imwidth=680)
It takes a certain type of person who relishes being hated, who goes out of his way to antagonise crowds and then basks in the cascade of abuse like it was a nice, warm shower.
UFC fighter Colby Covington, who faces Robbie Lawler on Saturday night in New Jersey, certainly fits into that category.
Covington is the most despised sportsman in liberal America. Think of him as the anti-Colin Kaepernick. An avowed Donald Trump supporter, he celebrated his welterweight title win last year with a visit to the White House and claims that two of Trump’s sons will be ringside to support him tonight.
Other than liberals, Covington has managed to upset – among many others – the nation of Brazil, calling it a “dump” and its citizens “filthy animals” while fighting in Sao Paulo and comic-book fans after deliberately posting spoilers to the Avengers and Star Wars films on Twitter. He positively embraces his role as the sport’s king troll now Conor McGregor is off pursuing the alcohol trade.
“I love getting a rise out of people and making them angry,” Covington said. What Covington recognised is that being hated is profitable. If your enemies pay to watch you get knocked out then that is still money in your pocket. I’m good for business,” Covington said last year.
“I’m the super villain of this division. I’m the super villain of the whole entire UFC. Everybody wants to watch me. Whether they want to see me lose or win, it’s all the same f–king thing.”
To this Covington and many others owe a huge debt to George Raymond Wagner, who passed away in 1963 and is arguably the most influential figure in all of professional wrestling, boxing and mixed martial arts. Wagner was a professional wrestler in the 1940s and 1950s who was far better known as his alter-ego Gorgeous George.
Accentuating his effeminate side with long, platinum blonde hair, Gorgeous George would walk to ring wearing a bejewelled red robe accompanied by a valet spraying perfume. Once matches begun, he would cheat in every way possible to the fury of the crowds.
There had always been bad guys in wrestling – also known as heels – but never before had anyone employed such theatrics and character work to generate “heat” from spectators. He became not only the most hated sportsman in America, but also among the best paid.
That would lead to a direct crossover with boxing when in 1961 Gorgeous George shared a radio studio with an up and coming Cassius Clay, then 19. After interviewing Clay, the radio presenter turned to Gorgeous George to promote his fight. “I am the greatest!” Gorgeous shouted. “I cannot be defeated! “I am the Gorgeous One! Not only am I the best wrestler, the most highly skilled, with the greatest technique, but I’m also the most beautiful wrestler who ever lived.”
Clay was so impressed that he attended Gorgeous George’s next fight in front of a full house in Las Vegas. Afterwards they met backstage where Clay received some advice that would change the trajectory of his career. “Boxing, wrestling—it’s all a show,” Gorgeous George told Clay. “You gotta get the crowd to react. You saw that crowd out there. Most of ’em hated me and the rest of ’em wanted to kiss me. Talk about how pretty you are. Tell them how great you are, and a lot of people will pay to see somebody shut your big mouth. So keep on bragging, keep on sassing, and always be outrageous.”
Clay embraced being that advice to such an extent that most people wanted the deeply unpopular Sonny Liston to shut up the future Muhammad Ali in their first heavyweight title fight. While Ali was often imitated and never bettered, it is Gorgeous George who is the true godfather of promos and heel work for all subsequent generations of fighters, including Covington.
Trolling UFC 'super villain' Colby Covington's act proves that showmanship is still king in the ring