Colby Covington, a vocal supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, has set his sights on a high-stakes showdown at the White House, expressing strong interest in fighting British UFC star Paddy Pimblett on the promotion's upcoming card there. The event is slated for June 14 on the South Lawn, coinciding with celebrations around America's 250th birthday.
Covington, known as "Chaos," revealed in a recent interview with Valuetainment that he is actively negotiating with the UFC to secure a spot on the historic White House card. "I’ve been negotiating with the UFC for the White House Card. That’s the one that I want. I told them this is important to my legacy and important to my career. This would be the biggest fight I’ve ever had. To fight on the South Lawn in front of the President would be the greatest honor of my career. We are in negotiations right now," Covington stated.
Despite having recently teased a potential move up to middleweight and showing interest in bouts against former champions Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya, Covington now appears committed to staying at welterweight for his next outing. The 37-year-old fighter has struggled lately, dropping three of his last four bouts, but he views the White House opportunity as a career-defining moment.
Covington specifically called out Pimblett, nicknamed "The Baddy," as his preferred opponent for the June 14 event. He urged the Liverpool native to move up from lightweight (155 pounds) to welterweight (170 pounds), citing the toll of drastic weight cuts on Pimblett's long-term health and performance.
"I would really like to fight with Paddy Pimblett. He had shown interest that he might wanna come up a weight class to welterweight. He’s cutting a lot of weight to get to 155 [pounds]… I love that fight, plus it’s a fight where it’s an American versus a British guy. I don’t want to fight an American guy on the 250th birthday of America," Covington explained during the interview.
The proposed matchup carries added patriotic fervor for Covington, framing it as a symbolic American versus British clash on a card tied to the nation's semiquincentennial milestone. While negotiations are ongoing, no official confirmation has come from the UFC regarding Covington's participation or the Pimblett fight.
