Colby Covington definitely not getting a warm reception in Demian Maia's 'dump' of a home

It was unlikely Colby Covington would get a warm reception at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 119 event. Now, though, he’s guaranteed a little extra hostility.

Covington (12-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC), who’s No. 9 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA welterweight rankings, could really solidify his case for a title shot with a win over No. 5-ranked Demian Maia (25-7 MMA, 19-7 UFC) in the FS1-televised co-headliner.

The event takes place at Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo. Covington has already arrived in the “dump” of a city that’s also Maia’s hometown, as he tweeted:

The trash-talk is nothing new for 29-year-old Covington, who’s won four straight fights since since a submission loss to Brazilian Warlley Alves – still, his only career defeat – in 2015. He’s taken aim at nearly every 170-pound UFC contender, including champ Tyron Woodley (18-3-1 MMA, 8-2-1 UFC).

For Saturday’s event in Sao Paulo, where Brazilian fans can be less-than-welcoming to non-Brazilians, Covington recently told MMAjunkie Radio he arrived 10 days early to acclimate to the climate, the diet and the time change (see the above video).

Still, he doesn’t really expect to get much of a challenge – or any surprises – from 39-year-old Maia, who recently hit his 10-year anniversary in the UFC.

“I feel like his game has been the same since the beginning,” Covington said of Maia. “He’s very one dimensional. He just goes forward, he’s looking for takedowns, and he’s looking to get it to the ground and get a submission. He’s an old dog. He hasn’t learned any new tricks. It’s going to be the same Demian Maia. We’re not going to see any surprises. I’m going to expose him for that.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 119, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.