UFC's Vegas 11 event on Saturday was not just a battle of fists, but it was also a battle of ideologies. Leading up to the main event between Tyron Woodley and Colby Covington, Woodley made headlines when he elected to answer every pre-fight press conference question with a variation of the "Black Lives Matter" slogan.
"I'm just excited that black lives matter," Woodley said on Thursday when asked about his upcoming bout.
His opponent, Covington, has been a staunch supporter of Donald Trump and an opponent of the Black Lives Matter movement. It came as a surprise to no one when the welterweight contender responded to Woodley during his press conference later that day.
"The only race in this fight is the race to get Tyron Woodley out of the UFC," Covington replied.
On Saturday, the two took to the ring to settle their differences. Covington seemingly cruised to a fifth round stoppage of the Ferguson, Missouri native. After the fight, he took his talents to another press conference where he criticized not only Woodley, but also LeBron James, Joe Biden and "woke athletes."
“If you thought that was a beating, wait until November 3 when Donald Trump gets his hands on sleepy Joe. That’s going to be a landslide," he said.
Shortly thereafter, he took aim at the social justice movements emerging in the NFL, NBA and MLB.
“I’m sick of these woke athletes, these spineless cowards like LeBron James," he added.
***WARNING: There is some profane language in the below tweet***
It didn't take long for these words to find their way to James. After watching Anthony Davis drain a fade away three-point shot to win Game Two of the Western Conference Finals, he stepped to the podium to address reporters.
“Anybody can talk from outside but if they got into the ring or got into the arena, probably 10 times out of 10, they’d [expletive] their pants,” he said when asked about Covington's remarks.
James is no stranger to criticism from Trump supporters or even Donald Trump himself. Since 2016, he has been the target of criticism from Candace Owens, Jason Whitlock and many others. Still, he manages to move forward with his "More Than A Vote" initiative and his I Promise School.
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