UFC villain's post-fight words revealed in unexpected backflip

Colby Covington surprised the fight world on the weekend after dropping character to provide a moment of class following his brutal loss to Kamaru Usman at UFC 268.

Covington could be viewed as one of the most controversial fighters on the UFC roster and his feud with Usman - and a host of other fighters - has brought out a wild persona over the last few years.

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Things got heated at the pre-fight press conference as the pair traded ugly words.

And the fighters were able to face-off days before they trade hands and it didn't take long for Covington to get personal with Usman.

However, the time for talk was over as the pair headlined the main event in their welterweight championship fight in New York.

And it was Usman once again coming out on top after he won on all three scorecards against the American No.1 contender.

However, after the pair went to war in a five-round thriller, a bloody, beaten and bruised Covington approached Usman as soon as the final bell sounded.

And in a surprising moment, he embraced Usman and the microphone picked up his words: "It's all love for you. It's all about making money, nothing but love."

Usman replied: "Respect".

The crowd cheered as the pair embraced, a moment many fans thought would never happen, before Joe Rogan complimented the moment.

“Even though I know Colby has the act to keep up, he dropped it at the end ... I enjoyed that," he said.

UFC legend Daniel Cormier added: “You saw Colby Covington drop the mask for a second.”

Colby Covington unleashes in post-fight interview

Following the fight, Usman praised Covington for taking him five rounds and giving him the two hardest fights in his glittering UFC career.

“I just got to give it up ... this guy’s a tough son of a b***h," Usman said following the fight.

“He’s tough as s**t.

“I wanted to get crazy, and I wanted to get him out of there, but I knew with a guy like this, he’s going to creep back in it and we’re going to end up in a situation we don’t want to be in.”

Usman added: “When you share an Octagon with someone this tough, you can’t help it — that respect is going to come.”

Despite the moment of class from Covington, he was quickly back into character in the post-fight interview.

He later called out Jorge Masvidal for a potential bout, following the pairs recent feud.

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