Colby Covington has made his pick for the highly anticipated legacy bout between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic—and it’s not his longtime acquaintance and former roommate, Jon Jones. In a recent interview with Fight Hub TV, Covington surprised many by siding with Miocic, offering high praise for the former heavyweight champion while taking jabs at the consensus MMA GOAT.

The former 170lbs interim champ didn’t hold back in his support for Miocic, stating, “I think—I hope—Stipe wins. Man, I love first responders. God bless all the first responders out there who are keeping our nation safe. I hope Stipe gets it done and shocks the world.” While he acknowledged Miocic’s age (42 and strong) and the challenges of being in the twilight of his career, Covington still expressed confidence in his ability to shock the entire world.

The conversation then shifted to a potential matchup between Jones and interim heavyweight king Tom Aspinall. Covington was quick to criticize Jones, claiming the reigning heavyweight champion was avoiding a fight with the Englishman. “For sure, Jon is scared of him,” Covington asserted. “He’s ducking him. He doesn’t want to fight fuc**g Tom Aspinall. That’s why he’s like, ‘Oh, I’ll vacate the title and fight the number 10 guy.’ He’s fuc**g scared.”

Covington’s animosity toward Jones is nothing new, despite the two having once been roommates during their collegiate days at Iowa Central Community College. ‘Chaos’, who has been vocal about his disdain for Dana White’s pound-for-pound king, recently revisited their college days during an appearance on The Jim and Sam Show. There, he claimed that Jones’s alleged ster**d use began during their time as roommates, leading to what he described as “roid rage” incidents.

Reflecting on their shared history, Covington said, “Me and Jon lived together for two years at Iowa Central Community College. We were actually great friends at first. But then he started doing ster**ds… he’d just freaking always have roid rage. He’d come home and yell at me, like, ‘What the f**k are you doing, Colby? Do the dishes!’ I’d see this rage in his eyes and think, ‘Dude, what’s your deal?”

While Covington paints a vivid picture of their strained dynamic, Jones has a very different perspective, denying any true friendship between the two.

Jon Jones dubbed Colby Covington as a liar 

Colby Covington has been out of action for 11 months following his unsuccessful bid for the welterweight title at UFC 296. While there were talks of him being the backup fighter at UFC 303—possibly against Michael Chandler, a fight both Covington and Chandler seemed interested in—nothing has been finalized yet. Meanwhile, Jon Jones is preparing to solidify his legacy with a monumental clash against Stipe Miocic.

The tension between Jones and Covington has only added intrigue to their respective journeys. Despite their shared history as college roommates, Jones has repeatedly dismissed the idea that the two were ever close. At a UFC 245 press conference—the same event where Covington lost his welterweight scrap to Kamaru Usman—Jones addressed the relationship, saying, “Colby’s a habitual liar. He told fans we lived together for two years. We lived together for one semester. I’ve made a lot of mistakes, and a lot of people don’t consider me a good person, but coming from me, Colby’s a really bad person. He is.”

As Jones prepares for one of the most significant fights of his career, Covington remains on the sidelines, awaiting his chance to step back into the octagon. The question remains: can Jon Jones, already considered by many as the GOAT, secure another victory and further cement his legacy—surpassing not only Miocic but also the shadow of his turbulent history with Covington? Tell us in the comment section below!