'Supervillain' Colby Covington respects Demian Maia – that's why he wants to finish him in Round 1

In reality shows, there often is a contestant who makes it clear right away he’s not there to make friends. If the UFC was a reality show, Colby Covington probably would fill that role.

From his unapologetic “embarrassment tour” to his expert Twitter trolling jobs, amid shots fired toward anyone from welterweight champion Tyron Woodley to rapper Snoop Dogg, Covington has lived up to his “Chaos” nickname outside the octagon, too.

On Oct. 28, he gets to take the role to the next level by not only going up against one of MMA’s favorite nice guys in Demian Maia – but by doing so in front of Maia’s home fans in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Not surprisingly, Covington is not at all fazed by the setup.

“I am the supervillain and this is my division now,” Covington told MMAjunkie ahead of the UFC Fight Night 119 welterweight co-headliner, which airs on FS1 from Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo. “I own this division. I’m a heel – it’s OK. I expect the fans to hate me, anyway. I don’t care about the fans. This isn’t about the fans anymore. This is about me being the best fighter in the world – and that’s what I am.

“I’m the No. 1 fighter in the welterweight division right now. Tyron Woodley, he’s a fake paper champ. Demian Maia, he’s a thing of the past. I’m going to put him to rest and the Brazilian crowd is going to be silent.”

Maia (25-7 MMA, 19-7 UFC), fresh off his own failed welterweight title bid, may be the task at hand. But Covington (12-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) makes sure to mention champ Woodley’s (18-3-1 MMA, 8-2-1 UFC) name every chance he gets. The fact Covington currently is angling for a title shot is not exactly a secret – and he believes a win over Maia should make that the next move.

Covington also is aware, however, there are others trying to get the same thing. Ex-lightweight-champ Rafael dos Anjos, for instance, has been making his own case after kicking off his welterweight run with back-to-back wins over Tarec Saffiedine and Neil Magny.

Covington, who’d taken aim at dos Anjos (26-9 MMA, 15-7 UFC) in the past, is not in agreement.

“Oh, come on, let’s be honest: Who has ‘RDA’ fought?” Covington asked. “He just fought two bums at the end of their careers – the two biggest over-ranked fighters in the world. He’s been picking and choosing fights. The UFC knows who a real fighter is. I’m a real fighter. I’ve never turned down one fight. I’ve asked for the tough fights. I asked for Demian Maia.

“No one wants to fight Demian Maia. I asked to fight Demian Maia in his home city. Who wants to fight Demian Maia in his home city? No one. I’m the only one who accepted the challenge. ‘RD’A? He ducked me. We were supposed to fight two or three different times. He ducked me. He didn’t want to fight. That’s why he was put behind me on the Singapore card and I got a bigger fight against Dong Hyun Kim at the time.

“He beat Tarec Saffiedine. The guy is on his way out. He beat Magny. The guy is on his way out. Who has he beat that’s a top contender? After I put Demian Maia to rest, Tyron Woodley is next for me. ‘RDA’ is a thing of the past, as well.”

Currently ranked No. 9 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA welterweight rankings, Covington is not delusional in his title aspirations. Not only is he coming off four straight wins, but he’s looked increasingly impressive in getting them – which peaked with the utter domination of Kim at UFC Fight Night 111 in June.

It’s hard to predict what’s going to happen atop the UFC’s 170-pound class – especially when the champion has been clear about his desire to venture into other divisions. But a win over No. 5 Maia, who was on a seven-fight tear before his failed title bid against Woodley, would certainly make Covington’s case convincing.

Of course, that’s easier said than done. While many thought they had the key to countering Maia’s stifling grappling game, the Brazilian has proven that knowing what he’s going to do inside the octagon doesn’t necessarily mean being able to stop it from happening.

Covington, however, doesn’t seem all that worried.

“Demian Maia is a one-trick pony,” Covington said. “He’s the same fighter he’s been his whole career. He’s not just going to change his game plan. He’s not a tricky guy to prepare for with the skill set that I have. The guys that he fought in the past don’t have the skill set that I have.

“He’s only going to try and come out there, take me down, get to the back, submit me. That’s not going to happen. My wrestling is on a different level than anyone he’s ever fought. My striking – I’m more athletic. I’m way too handsome to lose to a guy like that.”

Other than his high-caliber wrestling – which Covington rates as varsity-level compared to Woodley’s “decent,” but JV one – he was also able to rely on the help of a friend who happens to have recently prepared for his own UFC Fight Night 111 encounter with Maia, a split-decision loss.

“He fought Jorge Masvidal, my best friend,” Covington said. “So I’ve gotten a lot of pointers, a lot of experience from what Demian is going to try to do in the octagon. He’s very strong in the first couple of minutes, I’ll give him that. But he will break down.

“He will not be able to match my heart. He will not be able to match my pace. And he will fade and he will quit.”

While Covington is not sparing Maia from his verbal attacks, it’s also clear the Brazilian grappler hasn’t really been hit with the same type of heavy artillery that has been fired at Woodley or even Dos Anjos. In fact, Maia has even been dubbed “an absolute legend” by Covington.

Covington says he usually likes it when an opponent engages and returns his pre-fight banter. With Maia, who’s not prone to trash talking, he hasn’t been getting that. But Covington doesn’t mind it. At the end of the day, he says, it’s all about respect.

And, for better or worse, he does have it for Maia.

“I do respect the guy,” Covington said. “That’s why I’m going to put him to sleep in the first round. It won’t be pretty. I know Halloween is coming up, so it’s going to be a nightmare in Sao Paulo for him.”

In case Covington’s plans weren’t clear enough before, he doesn’t mind summing them up in one, concise answer.

“I’m coming to take out Demian Maia in impressive fashion,” Covington said. “And Tyron Woodley is next. Mark my words, you heard it here first in this interview: I will be welterweight champion early beginning of next year.

“Tyron Woodley can’t top me and Demian Maia has no chance to stop me.”

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