Ricardo Liborio — one of the men who founded American Top Team (ATT) and its former instructor — is not a fan of UFC welterweight Colby Covington’s statements about Brazilians.
Covington, who trains at ATT in Florida, took on Demian Maia at UFC Fight Night 119 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Colby referred to Sao Paulo as a “dump” and later called Brazilians “filthy animals.”
Yesterday, Covington issued a “formal apology” for his statements, but not to the Brazilians he offended:
My formal apology for #ufcsaopaulo @ufc pic.twitter.com/cwS7OTGK99
— Colby Covington (@ColbyCovMMA) October 29, 2017
Liborio found Colby’s insults tasteless, and he issued a statement to MMA Fighting condemning them:
I feel that I must make a statement in light of the comments made by Colby Convigton along with the amount of messages sent to me from Brazil, the United States, and from all over the world.
I’m here to state that I am no longer with American Top Team. I left the team approximately 3 months ago. Also, I absolutely do not condone any behavior that instigates hate, prejudice, or bullying of any kind. It upsets me to see the sport taking this direction of blatant disrespect. It’s unsportsmanlike, but it also fosters and promotes a culture of cruelty towards others. Combat sports should always represent the qualities of humility, empathy, and respect.
I dedicated my life to the martial arts, and to the formation and growth of this team and I want the members of ATT to know that they will always be in my heart.
What did you think of Colby Covington’s comments? Does this type of trash talk help the sport or hurt it?
