The Charlie Kirk Show - Inside the Mind of a Warrior with UFC Great Colby Covington

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00:00:37.000 Buckle up.

00:00:38.000 Here we go.

00:00:39.000 Charlie, what you've done is incredible here.

00:00:41.000 Maybe Charlie Kirk is on the college campus.

00:00:43.000 I want you to know we are lucky to have Charlie Kirk.

00:00:46.000 Charlie Kirk's running the White House, folks.

00:00:49.000 I want to thank Charlie.

00:00:50.000 He's an incredible guy.

00:00:52.000 His spirit, his love of this country, he's done an amazing job building one of the most powerful youth organizations ever created.

00:00:59.000 Turning point USA.

00:01:00.000 We will not embrace the ideas that have destroyed countries, destroyed lives, and we are going to fight for freedom on campuses across the country.

00:01:09.000 That's why we are here.

00:01:11.000 Colby Covington, welcome to the Charlie Kirk Show.

00:01:14.000 It's an honor to be here.

00:01:14.000 Thanks for having me.

00:01:15.000 Champion.

00:01:16.000 I've been seeing you on TV.

00:01:18.000 My favorite clip of yours is when you're celebrating, you just get a call from the president.

00:01:23.000 You've been unafraid to wear the Make America Great Again hat, the Keep America Great hat.

00:01:26.000 I guess when you win, you could do whatever you want.

00:01:28.000 That's true.

00:01:29.000 And, you know, I don't have these owners or people telling me what I got to do or the woke mob, you know, trying to cancel me.

00:01:35.000 You know, we're independent contractors in the UFC.

00:01:38.000 So, you know, my beliefs, my freedoms don't stop there.

00:01:41.000 You know, I get to do whatever I want, say what I want, and I'm not going to be muzzled.

00:01:44.000 Yeah, what I love is seeing on ESPN, and they have to air your post-fight interview.

00:01:50.000 You're wearing that beautiful Keep America great hat.

00:01:53.000 It's terrific.

00:01:54.000 What's been the response from other fighters from that?

00:01:55.000 Do some not like it?

00:01:56.000 Some ask you to stop?

00:01:58.000 You know, some people, they get jealous.

00:02:00.000 You know, they want to follow that trend.

00:02:02.000 They see that, you know, the numbers that it's doing, you know, and that call with the president on fight night, I had 10 million viewers on the ESPN page, so they can't deny me.

00:02:10.000 I'm undeniable.

00:02:11.000 You know, that's the highest rated numbers the show's ever done with that call.

00:02:15.000 So, you know, I think a lot of people, they want to follow in those steps, but they also, they don't want to receive the backlash.

00:02:20.000 There's a lot of negative that comes with being a Trump supporter or a Republican, you know.

00:02:25.000 I just don't know.

00:02:26.000 I don't think Antifa is going to mess with you anytime soon, though.

00:02:28.000 I hope so, man.

00:02:29.000 I was telling president, send me out there, man.

00:02:31.000 Put me in the middle of the Antifa, man.

00:02:32.000 Let me go.

00:02:34.000 So you've been fighting for almost your whole life?

00:02:37.000 Yeah, since I was six years old, I got into wrestling and karate.

00:02:40.000 And, you know, it's just something I fell in love with at a young age.

00:02:43.000 And I just love combat sports.

00:02:44.000 So I just figured it's the best way to make a living and provide for my family is by going down the route as a professional fighter.

00:02:51.000 It's amazing.

00:02:52.000 And so how long do they give you a heads up before you?

00:02:55.000 So I know very little about fighting, to be honest, but I'm fascinated in high performers and how people dedicate themselves to excellence.

00:03:03.000 So I'm just super curious.

00:03:04.000 So how long do you have before someone, they tell you when your next fight is?

00:03:08.000 Yeah.

00:03:08.000 I mean, you're one of the biggest fighters in the world.

00:03:10.000 Let's get that shit right out the bat. 0.99

00:03:12.000 You're a freedom fighter, man. 1.00

00:03:13.000 You're the highest regarded fighter there is in the world.

00:03:15.000 I look at you as an all-star champion of the highest regard.

00:03:19.000 You're fighting for our freedoms.

00:03:20.000 You're fighting for conservatism.

00:03:21.000 So, you know, I have much respect and honor for you.

00:03:24.000 But as far as getting ready for fights, you know, it all depends.

00:03:27.000 Some fights I've had to get ready for in three weeks are like they give you a call.

00:03:30.000 Hey, you want to fight on short notice?

00:03:31.000 We need to fill this spot on ESPN main card.

00:03:34.000 And then I got to do it.

00:03:35.000 And so that's why it comes into play, your lifestyle 365 24-7 if you're staying in the gym.

00:03:41.000 But some fights, you know, the big fights, usually you get about eight to 12 weeks.

00:03:45.000 And so as soon as you get that call, eight weeks out, you just, the adrenaline starts, right?

00:03:49.000 You're like, I got to lock in now.

00:03:50.000 You start counting days.

00:03:51.000 Yep.

00:03:52.000 Right.

00:03:52.000 You try and make every day count.

00:03:54.000 And all of a sudden, do things just change from that moment?

00:03:56.000 You kind of cancel a little bit of travel and then you get into just a regimen.

00:04:00.000 Yeah, I cut off everything.

00:04:02.000 Like I go into hibernation like a bear.

00:04:04.000 It's just all I'm focused on is eating, sleeping, and training.

00:04:07.000 That's the only thing that matters to me is being the best I can be on that date.

00:04:11.000 So, you know, I put everything on hold, you know, girlfriends, you know, family.

00:04:15.000 It's just, it's all consumed on winning that fight because, you know, I want to, you know, we're sending a message to the people right now, you know, and I want to stand up for all the conservatives out there.

00:04:26.000 And I want to show these people that they don't have to be afraid to stand up for what they believe in.

00:04:31.000 So you look at yourself as also an ambassador, a fighter for the country in this ring.

00:04:37.000 Yeah.

00:04:38.000 Is that right?

00:04:38.000 Absolutely.

00:04:39.000 I take pride and joy in going into the octagon every time I step in there and having a ton of people behind me that support me, you know, the silent majority, 70 million plus. 0.88

00:04:47.000 So I put those people on my back and, you know, I go into that octagon and I think, hey, it's kill or be killed.

00:04:53.000 And I'm going to go out on my shield for these people because, you know, they don't have that platform, that opportunity to do what I do.

00:04:59.000 So you're about to probably enter into one of those eight to 12 week hibernations.

00:05:03.000 So what does a day look like when you're just you're grinding?

00:05:07.000 When I'm grinding, usually I'll wake up, have some breakfast, then I'll go to the gym.

00:05:11.000 What are you eating for breakfast?

00:05:12.000 Usually I'll have like some eggs, egg whites, you know, toast.

00:05:16.000 I stay away from fried.

00:05:17.000 I stay away from, you know, too much sodium because when you're cutting weight, you don't want to have too much sodium because it retains the water.

00:05:23.000 So you can't cut the weight and lose the weight easily.

00:05:26.000 So it's a low sodium, low carb, high protein diet.

00:05:30.000 So it's tough, you know, but you know, that's, that's what you can put in your body like a high octane motor and you can get a lot out like a high octane motor.

00:05:38.000 So so you you do your breakfast, you go to training in the morning.

00:05:42.000 What does that look like?

00:05:43.000 That looks like the first training in the morning is usually about two hours.

00:05:45.000 I'll do one hour kickboxing, one hour jiu-jitsu, and then I'll take a little break, go get lunch, take a nap, and then I'll come back and I'll do about two hours of strength and conditioning.

00:05:55.000 And that's when you really get beat up.

00:05:57.000 Yeah, and that's when really the wear and tear starts to set in.

00:06:01.000 The mind starts to doubt yourself a little bit.

00:06:03.000 Like, oh, your body, you know, it's a little tired.

00:06:05.000 Maybe you shouldn't do this.

00:06:06.000 Maybe you should take a day off.

00:06:08.000 And that's when you got to really start telling yourself, you know, you got to dig deep and you got to say, hey, man, this is mental.

00:06:12.000 And who cares what your body says?

00:06:14.000 You know, your mind says you can do this.

00:06:16.000 So let's go push and let's go get the most out of yourself.

00:06:18.000 So when you're doing that hibernation, you're going all seven days?

00:06:21.000 Six days.

00:06:22.000 I take Sundays off.

00:06:23.000 I think that's a day for God.

00:06:25.000 And, you know, I'm very blessed to be here.

00:06:27.000 So, you know, I give that day to him.

00:06:28.000 And it gives me a chance to kind of recharge my mind, recharge my body, and then get ready for Monday to put a hard six days in.

00:06:35.000 How big is your team that's doing this?

00:06:38.000 So before I used to have a huge team, but now since I went Republican and started supporting Trump, you're saving money on your team, I guess, right?

00:06:46.000 Yeah, I'm saving a lot more money now, but it's also a lot more expensive going out because I got to fly coaches and got to fly trainers in.

00:06:52.000 But it's more about me.

00:06:53.000 It's individualized.

00:06:54.000 So I'm getting a lot more out of myself.

00:06:56.000 It's not about a team and trying to get the most out of a team.

00:06:58.000 It's about getting the most out of me and how can we be the best we can be at Colby Covington Incorporated.

00:07:03.000 So, you know, it's been amazing to have my own team and not have to worry about anybody else telling me what I can say, what I can do, and who I can be.

00:07:12.000 So you go through the hibernation, and the next thing you know, you're 10 days out from a fight.

00:07:16.000 You're a week out from the fight.

00:07:18.000 Do you all of a sudden start to kind of visualize your opponent?

00:07:21.000 You know, you start to think about him, obsess about him.

00:07:24.000 What's the mental preparation for something like that?

00:07:27.000 Yeah.

00:07:27.000 So the mental preparation, Charlie, I start to really start to visualize every little step, like the day I arrive at fight week, the day I step on the scale, the day I'm getting off the charter bus to walk into the arena.

00:07:41.000 The feels, the adrenaline, the emotions that it is when you walk into an arena and you hear all these screaming fans and you see all the cameras that are in your face and you're getting ready to go to battle, you know?

00:07:52.000 So that's when I really start thinking about every step, like up until literally I walk into the octagon and I'm shaking the guy's hand, which I don't shake the guy's hand because we're there to fight, you know?

00:08:01.000 Business is business.

00:08:02.000 But up until that second, until we fight, you know, it's, I'm visualizing every second, you know, what, what, what, what, how I'm feeling when I walk in, what I'm eating, like, what am I thinking?

00:08:12.000 And just all the little steps until you go to war.

00:08:15.000 So you get there for a whole week ahead of time and it builds up.

00:08:17.000 You start to drive through town and you see big posters with your face on it.

00:08:22.000 How do you, how do you stay focused on the fight?

00:08:24.000 They say the greatest fighters are the ones that are able to just kind of tune out all the pizzazz, right?

00:08:29.000 And just stay focused on that moment.

00:08:31.000 How do you do that?

00:08:32.000 Because you keep on getting more.

00:08:33.000 I mean, you might be, I could say in 2020, you've gotten more headlines than any other fighter, I think.

00:08:39.000 It's election year.

00:08:41.000 How have you been able to stay focused despite all of that?

00:08:44.000 Yeah, I think, you know, I just, like you said, you know, I try not to think about it too much.

00:08:49.000 I try and take a step back and think about the kid that was five years old that had these dreams to be the best in the world and to do great things and be one of the greats, you know, in sports history.

00:09:00.000 So I think about that little kid that was inspired and motivated and wanted to accomplish all these things.

00:09:06.000 And then I feel like I'm here and I'm in that zone that time now.

00:09:12.000 But, you know, I got to go get the most out of myself.

00:09:15.000 And I don't want to worry about all the extracurricular stuff on the side.

00:09:19.000 I just want to worry about taking care of business.

00:09:21.000 So the thing I'm super curious about, fight day, what does your day look like?

00:09:26.000 That day must be the longest day of the year.

00:09:28.000 It feels like, honestly, like a minute is like two.

00:09:32.000 Forever.

00:09:32.000 You're like, come on, let's get this over with, right?

00:09:34.000 Literally.

00:09:35.000 Do you sleep well the night before?

00:09:36.000 Nah.

00:09:37.000 Yeah.

00:09:37.000 Usually I'm not sleeping.

00:09:38.000 You're in your hotel room going through.

00:09:40.000 Yeah.

00:09:40.000 And you just got done doing like the weight cut.

00:09:42.000 So, you know, you just lost 20 pounds and you're completely depleted.

00:09:46.000 You took all the salts out of your body.

00:09:48.000 You're dehydrated because you're pretty much water loading.

00:09:51.000 And then you take all the water and the weight off you and you just completely dehydrate.

00:09:55.000 And you weigh in the day before the fight.

00:09:56.000 You do weigh in the day before the fight.

00:09:58.000 So you got 24 hours to rehydrate and then you fight.

00:10:01.000 So like that whole process is like you're rehydrating, you're trying to put the right nutrients in, but you can't put them in too quick because if you put them in too quick, your stomach and your system's not going to take it and you're going to throw up.

00:10:11.000 So do you have a nutritionist that comes with you that helps monitor all that?

00:10:14.000 Yeah, I have a nutritionist.

00:10:17.000 It's fascinating.

00:10:17.000 So it's not just being able to psychologically prepare.

00:10:22.000 You have to, because you're just cutting, you're cutting your cutting.

00:10:24.000 You got to make the weight.

00:10:25.000 Yeah.

00:10:25.000 And if you don't, that's just, you know, you're done.

00:10:28.000 There's no fight, right?

00:10:29.000 There's a fight, but then you have to give up 30% of your purse.

00:10:32.000 So if you're fighting for a million dollars, you got to give up $300,000.

00:10:35.000 Have you ever not made the weight?

00:10:37.000 Never.

00:10:37.000 I'm a true professional.

00:10:38.000 I'm a businessman.

00:10:40.000 When I sign a contract, I'm a man of my word.

00:10:42.000 I'm going to show up and I'm going to make weight and I'm going to handle my business like a businessman.

00:10:46.000 Wow.

00:10:46.000 And so then the day of the fight, what time do you wake up?

00:10:49.000 What does that look like?

00:10:50.000 What do you do?

00:10:50.000 Do you watch TV?

00:10:51.000 Do you just say, like, let's get this day over with as quickly as possible?

00:10:55.000 Usually when I wake up, I'll have like a bunch of carbs, like some pancakes, because I've been depleting myself low carbs for a couple of weeks.

00:11:01.000 So I'll have some pancakes, you know, have some eggs, some turkey sausage, some healthy stuff.

00:11:06.000 And then it's just, it's just visualizing, watching a little bit of tapes to see, you know, what areas a guy's good in and to see what his strengths are and to see what his weaknesses is.

00:11:14.000 And then it's just really just, you know, just being by myself, just making sure it's just my thoughts and my feelings and my emotions.

00:11:21.000 I don't want anybody else.

00:11:22.000 I don't want to hear what anybody else has to say.

00:11:24.000 I just, I want to be selfish in that moment.

00:11:26.000 And that's probably a mean thing to say because I like to be selfless most of the time.

00:11:31.000 But when it comes down to a fight and you're going to step into the octagon and all the repercussions that can happen and they got stretchers waiting for the guys that's going to lose because he's probably going to go to the hospital, that makes me be a little bit more selfish and self-centered in that moment of the day of the fight and just being relaxed and calm and not really thinking about anything.

00:11:50.000 So you start to see the clock, it's noon, it's one o'clock, it's two o'clock, it's three o'clock, all of a sudden knock on your hotel door, Colby, 45 minutes till we roll.

00:11:59.000 What's going through your mind?

00:12:00.000 Usually just a ton of adrenaline.

00:12:02.000 Right?

00:12:03.000 You're starting to feel the weight of the world a little bit, right?

00:12:05.000 You start to feel the weight of the world.

00:12:06.000 You start to feel the pressure.

00:12:08.000 You start to feel like an extra weight on your shoulder, like it's weighing you down.

00:12:13.000 Do you have your phone or no?

00:12:14.000 The only reason I have my phone is in case the POTUS calls.

00:12:17.000 Okay.

00:12:17.000 Because he always calls before the body.

00:12:18.000 But it can be a distraction, right?

00:12:19.000 It can be a distraction.

00:12:20.000 So no social media flipping, none of that.

00:12:22.000 I turn off my phone the week of the fight.

00:12:24.000 Really?

00:12:24.000 Before the fight's done.

00:12:26.000 It's in airplane mode.

00:12:27.000 I'm not listening because I'm getting hundreds of texts.

00:12:29.000 Everybody loves to come out when you have big events or big things that come up.

00:12:32.000 You hear my language.

00:12:33.000 Yeah, you probably understand it more than anybody.

00:12:35.000 During this turning point USA event, I'm sure a lot of people have hit your phone up.

00:12:39.000 So asking for favors, asking for this.

00:12:41.000 You need to be in the right headspace.

00:12:43.000 You have to have the right mental fortitude to know what you're going to, what direction you're going to go with your narratives all weekend.

00:12:49.000 So that's why it's important to shut out all the outside distractions and just focus on what you have ahead of you.

00:12:54.000 So you roll on the bus.

00:12:56.000 Roll on the bus.

00:12:56.000 And then, you know, that's when I'm listening to some music, trying to get in my zone.

00:13:01.000 I like to listen to classic rock, like some, some ACDC.

00:13:04.000 Yeah.

00:13:04.000 You know, get pumped up.

00:13:06.000 And then, yeah, it's just.

00:13:08.000 You get to the stadium of the arena.

00:13:10.000 And then that must be an eternity from there, right?

00:13:13.000 Yeah.

00:13:13.000 That's like, it feels out of body.

00:13:15.000 That's the best way to experience it.

00:13:17.000 Every time I walk into the arena on fight night, it doesn't feel like real.

00:13:22.000 It feels like out-of-body experience.

00:13:23.000 Like you don't feel like you're there.

00:13:24.000 You feel like you're like outside your body and you're like, whoa, like, man, wake up, man.

00:13:29.000 Like, you got to slap yourself a little bit.

00:13:31.000 Like, man, you're about to fight, man. 0.57

00:13:33.000 You're about to get into some serious business.

00:13:34.000 So wake up.

00:13:35.000 Let's be there in the moment.

00:13:37.000 So it's hard to really channel that, you know, that moment of being there and getting ready to go.

00:13:43.000 So you have your hold room and then they say, Colby, two minutes to TV, one minute.

00:13:48.000 You walk into kind of the, you know, the entrance area and you get out.

00:13:52.000 Everyone's screaming.

00:13:53.000 How do you not all of a sudden, and fighting is different than any other sport?

00:13:58.000 You know, basketball, when you're playing basketball, you can have all the jitters and everything, but after a couple plays and this timeout, you kind of get your breath.

00:14:05.000 Fighting, you got a short window, right?

00:14:07.000 If you have, if all of a sudden, if you do one position wrong, you're done, especially in the very brutal type of fighting that you do.

00:14:16.000 How all of a sudden do you not allow yourself to get too excited?

00:14:18.000 Because that's something that could happen, right?

00:14:20.000 Yeah, it's true.

00:14:21.000 A lot of these guys, they have adrenaline dumps.

00:14:23.000 They get so excited for the fight that they get in the fight and then they have no energy because they wasted all their energy and they were so excited and they had an adrenaline dump.

00:14:32.000 They wasted all those motions before the fight and they get in the fight.

00:14:35.000 They have no energy to throw any punches because they're just, they're so drained from it all.

00:14:39.000 So, you know, what I've learned to see is that, you know, you can play, you can play basketball, you can play football, you can play baseball.

00:14:46.000 You don't play fighting.

00:14:47.000 Fighting is real as it comes.

00:14:49.000 So, you know, you have to take it very serious.

00:14:51.000 And on fight day, I really take a step back and just make sure I guard my energy because I'm a big, you know, I'm a big believer in energy and having positive and good energy around you is what uplifts you and makes you do great things.

00:15:06.000 So, you know, I protect my energy on fight day.

00:15:08.000 So the fight starts.

00:15:10.000 Just everyone's screaming, cameras, you know, millions of people are watching.

00:15:14.000 Talk about some of your recent fights.

00:15:16.000 What's the moment where you know you got them?

00:15:19.000 Like what all of a sudden does that become an out-of-body experience into just success?

00:15:23.000 You know what I'm talking about, right?

00:15:24.000 Where all of a sudden you're like, all right, I got him.

00:15:27.000 Talk about when all of a sudden you see your opponent or the guy you're fighting, the weakness all of a sudden expose itself.

00:15:32.000 What does that look like?

00:15:33.000 Yeah.

00:15:34.000 I mean, you could just, it looks like the soul leaving the body.

00:15:37.000 You can literally see it.

00:15:39.000 Like the second round of my last fight, I was fighting the former champion, one of the greatest fighters in the history of the UFC, a guy named Tyrone Woodley.

00:15:45.000 And at the end of the second round, the first round, I put a high pace on him, a lot of volume of my punches, a lot of kicks to the body, just wearing him down methodically, strategically.

00:15:55.000 Second round, took him down, really just beating on him, just cutting him open.

00:15:59.000 And then at the end of the second round, when it goes ding, ding, and the buzzer went off to go back to our corners, I looked at him and I saw the way he got up.

00:16:07.000 And you know, when someone's confident and like they're walking around, they're feeling good.

00:16:10.000 And you know, when someone's just like defeated and they're just done.

00:16:13.000 And that's when I really noticed it.

00:16:15.000 The way he went back to the stool and he sat on the stool and he put his head down.

00:16:18.000 He was just like this.

00:16:19.000 I was like, okay, he's done.

00:16:20.000 I'm going to finish him in these next two rounds.

00:16:22.000 Did you knock him out?

00:16:23.000 I ended up knocking him out in the fifth round or he quit.

00:16:25.000 He was knocked out.

00:16:26.000 Like I cut him open and hurt him real bad and then he quit.

00:16:29.000 He was just like, he faked the rib injury.

00:16:30.000 He was like, oh, my rib.

00:16:32.000 Just so they'd stop the fight because they knew I was just going to unload on his face.

00:16:35.000 And he'd already had like three giant cuts on his eyes and on his face.

00:16:39.000 So he was like, no more, just let me out, man.

00:16:42.000 So you get crowned the winner.

00:16:44.000 Is that even an experience that you can put into words?

00:16:47.000 12 weeks of hell, hibernation, one day off a week.

00:16:51.000 You're eating nothing.

00:16:52.000 You're seeing nobody.

00:16:53.000 Everyone's got a million opinions, right?

00:16:55.000 What does that feel?

00:16:56.000 What is that feeling like all of a sudden with 30 million people watching?

00:16:59.000 Yeah, I don't think you could put into words the feeling that it is because it doesn't feel real.

00:17:05.000 Every time it happens, I'm like, this isn't real, man.

00:17:07.000 I'm dreaming right now.

00:17:08.000 There's no way that, you know, I just, you know, made a buttload of money and did something that I loved and was able to stand up for the people in the back that don't have a voice or a platform right now.

00:17:19.000 So it's hard to describe.

00:17:22.000 I wish I could give you the right words to say.

00:17:24.000 No, there's no words that describe it.

00:17:26.000 Do you like to win more or do you hate to lose more?

00:17:29.000 I hate to lose more.

00:17:31.000 Yeah, it's there's something about losing.

00:17:33.000 Like I've learned a lot in my life from when I was younger, when I lost, and that's been very valuable in my success today was, you know, taking a lot of knowledge from my losses.

00:17:45.000 But it always hurts a lot more to lose than it feels good to win.

00:17:49.000 Talk about one loss that really motivated you.

00:17:53.000 Yeah, one last that really motivated me was, you know, my last fight or two fights ago when I fought for the world title.

00:18:01.000 You know, I just think that the stack, the deck was stacked against me, you know, being who I am and who I support and which side I stand on.

00:18:10.000 You know, they definitely stacked against the deck against me.

00:18:14.000 And, you know, it was definitely a rigged fight, just like our election.

00:18:17.000 So it hurts, you know, it hurts to lose to someone you know you're better than, you know, and, you know, I didn't get the most out of myself that night.

00:18:25.000 There was a lot of problems that went into the fight, you know, before the fight, diet-wise, putting my trust into people, outsiders that I don't even know who they are to do my diet.

00:18:34.000 You know, you don't know who's handling your food and what they're doing to your food.

00:18:37.000 And then, and then in the fight, you know, the ref calling multiple fake fouls that aren't even there.

00:18:43.000 You know, I kicked the guy in the liver and he was about to quit.

00:18:45.000 He put it, he put his stomach down like he was going to quit.

00:18:48.000 And the ref stops it, oh, nutshot.

00:18:50.000 They show it on the replay.

00:18:52.000 Clearly, it hit him right in the liver.

00:18:53.000 It wasn't even close to the fire.

00:18:54.000 I remember Rogan talking about that.

00:18:55.000 Yeah.

00:18:56.000 Yeah.

00:18:56.000 And then, and then I come to find out the guy's, you know, anti-Brexit.

00:18:59.000 He's from the UK.

00:19:00.000 He hates Trump. 0.99

00:19:01.000 He hates anybody who stands for Trump and he hates Republicans.

00:19:04.000 So of course he's going to stack the dense deck against me and not put an even playing field out there for me.

00:19:09.000 So he doesn't want me to win.

00:19:10.000 He doesn't want me to have that spotlight.

00:19:12.000 So, but, you know, I'm happy it happened that way because it just sets up the future that I'm just going to, I want it that much more now.

00:19:20.000 And I'm not going to accept anything less than being the best.

00:19:24.000 And that, so you win, when you win, all of a sudden, a couple days, that feeling, you want to get another one, right?

00:19:31.000 For sure.

00:19:32.000 You become addicted to like that high, that high of winning, that high of the roller coaster of emotions that go into fight week and fighting in the octagon.

00:19:40.000 So, you know, I was done with my last fight and I was ready to go the next week.

00:19:43.000 And I've been begging to fight.

00:19:44.000 You know, I'm calling Dana White every week.

00:19:46.000 Dana, come on, man. 1.00

00:19:47.000 Let's get this fight going.

00:19:48.000 He's like, all right, I'm working on it, man.

00:19:50.000 He's just, you got to understand you're the best fighter in the world.

00:19:52.000 No one wants to fight you right now.

00:19:54.000 Yeah. 0.98

00:19:55.000 Dana's awesome, by the way.

00:19:57.000 He's done an unbelievable thing with UFC.

00:19:59.000 He has.

00:20:00.000 And I've got a chance to know the Fertita family as well.

00:20:02.000 They're really special people.

00:20:03.000 Yeah.

00:20:03.000 Dude, these are good people, man.

00:20:05.000 And so what's amazing about your sport is it really, there's no pretending.

00:20:12.000 I mean, there is, you know, refs that can interfere and all that, but the moving average of a career, you really find out who's willing to put in the work.

00:20:21.000 So let me ask you, it gets described as a physical sport.

00:20:25.000 How much of it is mental?

00:20:26.000 When you're in that third round, that fourth round, how much of it is digging deep into a belief to win?

00:20:33.000 I would say 80% mental and 20% physical.

00:20:36.000 Really?

00:20:37.000 Yeah.

00:20:37.000 There's been fights where my body had nothing left.

00:20:41.000 It felt like there was bricks in my shoes.

00:20:44.000 It felt like I couldn't throw a punch because my shoulders were so tired because I threw 500 punches in the fight.

00:20:50.000 But, you know, I told my mind, hey, man, it's first round.

00:20:52.000 And, hey, man, you know, your grandfather, he served in the Korean and Vietnam War.

00:20:56.000 He put his life on the line for this country and these freedoms, man.

00:20:59.000 You're just fighting.

00:21:00.000 You're doing, you know, you're doing something you love, something that's enjoyable.

00:21:03.000 So, you know, I go back to those, I reminisce of those memories and all these different things in my life.

00:21:09.000 And it makes me realize that it's not as hard as I think it is.

00:21:12.000 And if I change my mindset and just be a little positive, that it's going to be a lot easier.

00:21:16.000 And then I can dig deep and get more out of myself that way.

00:21:20.000 And so there's been many times, I'm sure, when you dig deep, as you just mentioned, you ever can you talk about a fight where you really had to fight hurt?

00:21:28.000 Like a rib broke, or you know, because what's unbelievable about what you, what I mean, you have sometimes, I mean, there's real, I mean, not even injuries.

00:21:37.000 There's just like life-altering, you know, that's true.

00:21:41.000 Casualties.

00:21:42.000 Yeah.

00:21:44.000 So before I was going to fight Robbie Lawler, ruthless Robbie Lawler.

00:21:47.000 He's one of the, he's literally the boogeyman of the UFC.

00:21:50.000 You know, when they, why is that?

00:21:52.000 Just because he knocks everybody out.

00:21:54.000 He's literally taking people's lives.

00:21:55.000 So he was in your weight class?

00:21:57.000 Yeah, he was in my weight class.

00:21:58.000 He was a long champion of the UFC, I think four or five-time champion, put on some of the most exciting fights in the history of the UFC sport.

00:22:05.000 And, you know, I get to get matched up against him.

00:22:07.000 We were the top two guys at the time.

00:22:08.000 I got to fight him and defend my title.

00:22:11.000 And two weeks before the fight, I get a nasty cut.

00:22:14.000 Guy headbutts me in training.

00:22:15.000 I mean, I'm telling you, I had a cut that was probably from this side of the eyebrow down here.

00:22:20.000 Like it was like 20 stitches.

00:22:22.000 I was so upset because I was like, oh, I'm going to have to pull out of the fight.

00:22:25.000 And this is a huge fight.

00:22:26.000 Like UFC called me on short notice.

00:22:28.000 They said, hey, you want to fight Robbie Lawler in the main event on ESPN?

00:22:31.000 We need you to save the card because the main event fell off.

00:22:34.000 So can you do that?

00:22:35.000 So I'm thinking I have to pull out of the fight because it's nasty cut.

00:22:38.000 There's no way the commission is going to prove me.

00:22:40.000 And somehow, you know, I didn't train the rest of the two weeks before the fight.

00:22:44.000 Really?

00:22:44.000 Yeah, I didn't train.

00:22:45.000 So that puts you at a disadvantage.

00:22:46.000 Big disadvantage.

00:22:48.000 Weight-wise for cutting weight and just the final preps, you know, feeling sharp, you know, with your strategy and your punches and the way you're going to go into the fight.

00:22:56.000 And this is where talking about going into the mental and how physical versus mental fighting is.

00:23:02.000 This was all mental because, you know, all I could do is run every day and just visualize in the fight and not even know if I'm going to get to the fight because when you get to the fight and you go to Wayne's, you have to pass a commission test.

00:23:13.000 The boxing commission.

00:23:14.000 This is just a full body exam, right?

00:23:16.000 Full body.

00:23:17.000 They want to see if you have any viruses, any diseases, any skin conditions, any cuts.

00:23:21.000 Because if you have a cut, basically like a physical almost.

00:23:24.000 Yeah, it's exactly the same exact thing.

00:23:26.000 And I'm putting makeup all over this thing.

00:23:28.000 I got the UFC putting makeup. 0.84

00:23:30.000 Hey, we got to cover this thing for the commission.

00:23:31.000 We can't let them see.

00:23:32.000 We have to fight this fight.

00:23:34.000 We cannot pull out of this fight.

00:23:35.000 So we're putting makeup on this thing.

00:23:37.000 We didn't get to train the last two weeks.

00:23:39.000 And then I go out there and fight Robbie Lawler, the scariest guy in the division.

00:23:42.000 And, you know, usually you want a full training camp.

00:23:44.000 You want to feel great.

00:23:45.000 And I go out there and set the record for most strikes ever thrown in a UFC fight and landed on a fighter.

00:23:51.000 And this is against one of the best fighters to ever do it in the sport.

00:23:54.000 So that shows these guys that it's not physical.

00:23:57.000 It's all mental because I just believed that I was going to go out there and get my hand raised.

00:24:00.000 And I wasn't going to accept anything less than getting my hand raised that night.

00:24:04.000 And I was willing to die for it.

00:24:06.000 How do you deal with the doubters and the haters?

00:24:08.000 Something that a lot of people wonder that watch our program.

00:24:11.000 How do I deal with the people that want to wish me harm?

00:24:13.000 You have a lot of those people, I'm sure.

00:24:15.000 I mean, you are in one of the most competitive industries.

00:24:18.000 Now, it's a multi-billion dollar a year sport, right?

00:24:22.000 There's a lot of people in fighting.

00:24:24.000 There's commercial advertisers.

00:24:25.000 There's sponsors.

00:24:27.000 There's, you know, you could get injuries.

00:24:29.000 You could get displaced.

00:24:30.000 Not to mention all the psychological warfare launched against you.

00:24:34.000 How do you rise above all that?

00:24:36.000 You know, I just try not to focus on those things.

00:24:39.000 I just try and focus on what I have control of.

00:24:41.000 I don't have control of other people's feelings and their opinions.

00:24:45.000 And we know in America, everybody has a different opinion.

00:24:48.000 And, you know, we know that the right side, you know, yeah, we're not going to hate you for having a different opinion than us. 0.98

00:24:53.000 We're going to respect your opinion, but it's different from the left because the left just thinks if you have a different opinion, you're the worst person in the world and you're just an evil person.

00:25:01.000 But it's not really like that.

00:25:02.000 So I just try not to focus on any of their opinions.

00:25:05.000 I think that's funny you actually say that about the sponsors and caring about their opinions.

00:25:09.000 After my last fight, you know, my fight, I had the call with the president on the phone.

00:25:14.000 Reebok is a sponsor of the UFC.

00:25:16.000 They don't sponsor me individually.

00:25:18.000 I have my individual sponsors.

00:25:19.000 Reebok sponsors, the UFC.

00:25:21.000 They called the UFC and Dana White and were trying to get me canceled.

00:25:24.000 The cancel culture was coming after me.

00:25:26.000 And this is a sponsor that I'm not even sponsored by.

00:25:28.000 And they're sponsoring the company and the advertisement in the cage, but you don't sponsor me individually.

00:25:34.000 They're trying to get me canceled and cut for the UFC just for going on camera and speaking with the president and wearing a Keep America Great hat.

00:25:41.000 I think they were unsuccessful.

00:25:43.000 They were unsuccessful.

00:25:44.000 The cancel culture, I'm a prime target for them, but you can't cancel Colby Covington Incorporated.

00:25:48.000 You know, this is a free country and in the UFC, Dana White allows free speech and he's not going to muzzle anybody in the UFC.

00:25:56.000 We're allowed to say and think as we want.

00:25:59.000 And, you know, they're not going to, you know, they're not going to tell us to be quiet about it.

00:26:04.000 And so you love fighting.

00:26:05.000 Dude, I love fighting more than I love living.

00:26:08.000 I asked for a reason, though, because some people on the left and the political correct, they're trying to cancel the whole idea of fighting.

00:26:14.000 It's too violent.

00:26:15.000 People shouldn't be watching it.

00:26:16.000 What do you have to say to those people?

00:26:18.000 I just have to say you're soft.

00:26:21.000 This isn't the participation trophy society anymore.

00:26:25.000 There's no safe spaces here.

00:26:28.000 These are all alphas and people who believe in real American morals and values.

00:26:34.000 So I want to close on the politics stuff.

00:26:38.000 This election was stolen, as you mentioned.

00:26:40.000 What's your message to Trump supporters out there?

00:26:42.000 A lot of them look up to you.

00:26:44.000 My message is don't give up.

00:26:46.000 Hold the line.

00:26:47.000 We can't give these guys an itch.

00:26:49.000 They're trying to take away our freedoms, trying to take away our rights.

00:26:53.000 There's a constitution for a reason, and we have constitutional rights, and we need to stand by them and not bow down to anybody.

00:26:59.000 The woke mob's not going to scare me, and they shouldn't scare you.

00:27:03.000 And you're going to keep fighting for conservative bullies.

00:27:06.000 That's right.

00:27:07.000 I'm going to keep fighting for consideration.

00:27:08.000 And if anyone has a problem with it, they can join you in the octagon, right?

00:27:10.000 That's true.

00:27:11.000 Just like when I call out LeBron James for being a hypocrite and having a double standard, I tell them, hey, man, if you really think what you think, and you want to put targets on police officers' backs, the same police officers that are giving you and your family private security every day, you want to put these targets on their backs, then, you know, we can do something about it. 0.93

00:27:32.000 We can fight. 0.97

00:27:33.000 If you think you're so tough, man, we can get in the ring.

00:27:35.000 No weight, no size.

00:27:36.000 It doesn't matter.

00:27:37.000 Let's just get in the ring and we'll settle our differences.

00:27:40.000 China, LeBron.

00:27:43.000 And stunningly, he didn't take you up on the offer. 0.55

00:27:46.000 He did it.

00:27:47.000 He said in an interview, he was like, oh, he wouldn't know what to do if he was in the arena, the bright lights.

00:27:52.000 He'd be scared, but he doesn't know what he's talking about.

00:27:55.000 He's just a sellout for Beijing.

00:27:58.000 That's exactly right.

00:27:59.000 We all know Hong Kong needs to be freed.

00:28:01.000 I have this very belief, and Dana White deserves a lot of credit that UFC is like one of the last American sports.

00:28:08.000 It really is.

00:28:09.000 And it's awesome in a variety of different ways, from the sponsorships to the focus, but also it's just kind of unapologetic commitment to masculinity.

00:28:19.000 Yeah.

00:28:20.000 Especially in a time where they don't want masculinity.

00:28:24.000 I'm the definition of toxic masculinity.

00:28:27.000 Oh, yeah.

00:28:28.000 So, you know, they're trying to take away all these labels, you know, masculinity, gender.

00:28:34.000 You know, what is that going to do?

00:28:36.000 It's not making America better.

00:28:38.000 It's just, you know, dividing us even more.

00:28:40.000 Absolutely.

00:28:41.000 And as we just went through, I mean, the amount of mental discipline you have to go through is extraordinary.

00:28:48.000 And you know, your competitors are going through that too, right?

00:28:52.000 And you know, and this is really important for people to hear, that every day, if someone's training right now, being like, I'm going to beat Kobe Covington.

00:28:58.000 Because soon as you start to win, right?

00:29:00.000 And you get to be the best in the world, you create an obsessive class where all of a sudden other people want to come after you and other people want to do that.

00:29:08.000 And staying focused and staying determined is just exactly how you're going to stay on top.

00:29:13.000 That's true.

00:29:13.000 What's it like for you?

00:29:14.000 Because I know a lot of people want your spot.

00:29:17.000 Oh, yeah.

00:29:17.000 Well, I mean, look, I love talking to other high performers because there's so much similarity.

00:29:22.000 There's so much overlap because the same, to a lesser extent, you know, what we do on these campuses, you know, when we do these really big events or when I do a really big debate, it's not dissimilar to you on a big fight.

00:29:36.000 Again, it's not in front of 30 million people, but it could be.

00:29:39.000 And, you know, when we host the president of the United States, I got to get everything right.

00:29:43.000 And I got to visualize the logistics, the intro.

00:29:45.000 I got to get up on stage.

00:29:46.000 I say one word wrong and have the media come after me.

00:29:49.000 Right. 0.86

00:29:49.000 And I won't, you know, I won't get a black guy and end up in the hospital. 0.86

00:29:52.000 I'll just get a public relations black guy and get humiliated in a different way, right? 0.95

00:29:58.000 And when we host a successful event or when I win a debate, when I do that, it's that same sort of feeling. 0.98

00:30:03.000 And winning's good, but I hate losing.

00:30:06.000 I can't stand it.

00:30:07.000 We agree on that.

00:30:09.000 And so there's so much overlap there.

00:30:11.000 And when other people are obsessed about taking you down, you know you're in the right place, but then you just have to commit yourself to working harder than them.

00:30:17.000 Because you know, there's very few people that actually truly have the work ethic.

00:30:23.000 They say they do, but then you're actually able to see when it all kind of comes to fruition.

00:30:28.000 That's true.

00:30:29.000 You know, that's that's why, you know, some people they're addicted to cheating on their taxes.

00:30:33.000 They're addicted to cheating on your wife's.

00:30:35.000 You know, you're addicted to winning. 0.94

00:30:37.000 That's your drug of choice.

00:30:38.000 And it's inspiring to get to talk to you and see your message that you're providing for the next generation of Republicans and conservatives because you're changing the values and morals of every American.

00:30:50.000 And seeing that is very humbling.

00:30:52.000 I am a huge fan of yours, and you're a hero in a variety of different ways because you haven't backed down on any of this politics stuff.

00:30:58.000 And my ask of you is: please don't stop because we need like a singular conservative athlete, like just one.

00:31:05.000 And, you know, especially a really good one, right?

00:31:08.000 I think we have like a third baseman on the Cincinnati Reds or something, but like we have you, okay, who's winning championships and is terrific.

00:31:16.000 And you're really an inspiration to our kids because you're literally fighting and you are standing up for this.

00:31:22.000 And you say, got a problem with it, then come give me your best shot.

00:31:25.000 And you look at yourself as a freedom fighter, which is totally extraordinary.

00:31:29.000 We're both fighting in just different ways.

00:31:31.000 That's true.

00:31:31.000 We're all fighters.

00:31:32.000 We just got different fights, you know?

00:31:34.000 And there's a reason I had to get into that fight is because I was sick of seeing all the political vessel that sports has come for leftist ideologies.

00:31:42.000 You know, it's just they're just trying to shove these woke thoughts down your throat, and they're not hearing two sides to the field, two sides to the story.

00:31:49.000 So, you know, that's why I'm proud to be there.

00:31:52.000 And I'm not going to stop fighting, Charlie.

00:31:53.000 We're just getting started.

00:31:54.000 Oh, I love it.

00:31:56.000 You're going to win.

00:31:57.000 Thanks, Colby, for coming.

00:31:58.000 It's been great.

00:31:58.000 Thanks so much, Charlie.

00:31:59.000 Appreciate you, brother.

00:32:00.000 Thank you.

00:32:04.000 Thank you guys for listening.

00:32:05.000 What a great episode.

00:32:06.000 If you want to get involved with Turning Point USA, the nation's largest student organization fighting for freedom and liberty on campuses across the country, go to tpusa.com, where we play offense with a sense of urgency to win America's culture war.

00:32:18.000 Get engaged, get involved so that we can push back against the leftist indoctrination happening in our country.

00:32:24.000 Email us your questions as always, freedom at charliekirk.com.

00:32:27.000 Please consider supporting us at charliekirk.com/slash support.

00:32:33.000 And please listen to our sister episode.

00:32:35.000 Thank you guys so much for listening.

00:32:36.000 Talk to you soon.

The Charlie Kirk Show - January 03, 2021

Inside the Mind of a Warrior with UFC Great Colby Covington

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