UFC 264: Dustin Poirier rubbishes Colby Covington’s claim he taunted an AMATEUR in sparring

Dustin Poirier rubbishes Colby Covington’s claim he taunted an AMATEUR in sparring after ex-team-mate releases unseen footage of lightweight star to prove he is ‘not a nice guy’ ahead of Conor McGregor showdown

  • Dustin Poirier has responded to footage of him knocking out a sparring partner 
  • Colby Covington claimed Poirier taunted an ‘amateur’ and is ‘not a nice guy’ 
  • However, Poirier insists the opponent was a professional with 20 wins
  • The Diamond is preparing to take on rival Conor McGregor at UFC 264 on July 10

Dustin Poirier has responded after Colby Covington released footage of the Diamond dropping an ‘amateur’ in sparring, insisting that the opponent was more experienced than Chaos let on.

Covington, 33, and Poirier, 32, are friends turned foes following the welterweight’s explosive exit from American Top Team. 

The mouthy American parted ways with the gym last year after failing to abide by their ‘no trash talk’ rule, having made stinging remarks about the likes of Poirier and Jorge Masvidal.

Dustin Poirier has responded to a video of him knocking out a sparring partner back in 2019

New footage shows Poirier flooring an 'amateur' opponent ahead of his fight with Khabib

New footage shows Poirier flooring an ‘amateur’ opponent ahead of his fight with Khabib

Covington and Poirier first fell out in 2019 when Chaos picked Khabib Nurmagomedov to beat the Diamond at UFC 242, and the relationship has been downhill ever since.

And the welterweight contender has released footage of Poirier knocking out a sparring partner ahead of his title fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2019, before shouting ‘And new!’ 

Covington had last month claimed ownership of a video in which Poirier is not the ‘nice, charitable guy’ who has won praise from UFC fans in recent years.

Colby Covington released the footage to prove that the Diamond is 'not a nice guy'

Colby Covington released the footage to prove that the Diamond is ‘not a nice guy’

However, Poirier says the opponent was not an amateur, as claimed by his former team-mate

However, Poirier says the opponent was not an amateur, as claimed by his former team-mate

Poirier (right) and Covington (left) trained together while with American Top Team

Poirier (right) and Covington (left) trained together while with American Top Team

Speaking about the video, Covington said: ‘That’s not Khabib kid, you didn’t just knock out Khabib. So Dustin’s a pr***. Dustin’s a piece of s***, and I’m sick of this, “nice guy” act.’

However, Poirier has responded to the new footage, rubbishing his former team-mate’s claim that he was sparring with an amateur. 

‘This is a pro fighter with 20 wins,’ Poirier says, referring to the sparring partner in the video.

The 32-year-old is currently preparing for his lightweight showdown with Conor McGregor

The 32-year-old is currently preparing for his lightweight showdown with Conor McGregor

The footage is an unwelcome distraction from matters at hand for Poirier, who is preparing to face Conor McGregor at UFC 264 on Saturday.

The American opted for a trilogy fight with his lightweight rival instead of taking a shot at Charles Oliveira’s lightweight title, and is looking to ensure that his UFC 257 win over the Irishman was no fluke. 

Covington, meanwhile, has not fought since last September as the loud-mouth 170-pounder waits for his shot at Kamaru Usman’s welterweight title.