Editor
Colby Covington and Henry Cejudo are no strangers to altercations before a big fight. They didn’t want to hold back before a poker tournament either.
The two UFC fighters were set to play in the Celebrity Poker Tour before getting into a verbal altercation before the first hand was dealt. The confrontation began at a red carpet event before the card game.
Covington is known as a villain in the UFC, often engaging in highly polarizing content, including politics, to make him an enemy to many. He attacked Cejudo with words, disparaging his 5’4 height.
“Send him back to the shire.”
Cejudo fired back, referencing Covington’s losses in his last two bouts. Both fighters had barely suppressed smiles throughout the altercation, suggesting that it was not the most serious spat of their careers.
Covington is actually a relatively experienced poker player with over $320,000 in career earnings. He can often be seen playing events mainly in Florida draped in a hoodie and sometimes preferring to be anonymous on tournament updates and chip counts.
The 37-year old has poker results dating back to 2012, which is also the same year as his earliest UFC results. His largest career cash was for over $70,000 at WSOP Paradise in December 2024.
The Celebrity Poker Tour is known for hosting colorful characters for a game of poker who compete for money. It produces a wide range of winners, including Suede Brooks winning a couple of weeks ago.
In this particular episode, Covington did better than Cejudo with a second place finish for $10,000. Former NFL player John Johnson III won for $20,000.
