Colby Covington, competing in WSOP poker events, shares his thoughts on the UFC White House fight.

UFC star Colby Covington participated in the WSOP $25,000 PLO High Roller event and shared his thoughts on the UFC White House fight and his Real American Freestyle career.

Mixed martial arts star Colby Covington is currently facing some new challenges.

This mixed martial arts fighter, boasting a 17-5 UFC record, has accumulated over $$420,000 in live poker tournament winnings, according to The Hendon Mob's database, mostly from No-Limit Texas Hold'em events. However, this world-class athlete is set to compete in the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) $25,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha event.

Covington, a former member of the Celebrity Poker Tour (CPT), is no stranger to PLO. He has accumulated some tournament winnings in this poker variant over the years, but a win in this event could significantly boost his career earnings.

“I’ve been playing pretty well in PLO,” he told PokerNews during a break. “PLO has a much higher volatility, so I like it because I’m a gambler, and it’s more of a gambler’s game. You know, that diminishes the advantage of those great Texas Hold’em pros because they can sit there all day waiting for an Ace, and they play very tightly. So, PLO is much more fun.”

New forms of competition

The retired UFC fighter recently accepted another challenge, but this time it's unrelated to poker. Covington is currently competing in Real American Freestyle (RAF) wrestling promotions, holding a 3-0 record. However, his next fight will be against another UFC star, Arman Tsarukyan, on July 18th in Milwaukee, which will be his toughest battle to date. Coincidentally, Covington sat next to the person who introduced him to RAF during the PLO High Roller event.

“Yes, it’s really strange. The guy sitting next to me is Noah Schwartz, who introduced me to RAF. I’m here at RAF today because of my brother Noah Schwartz and Chad Bronstein, the owner and CEO of Real American Freestyle. So, you know, they asked me for help, and I’m very grateful to be competing in such a high-level league—the first real league like this. You know, wrestling has never had a platform, and now Real American Freestyle brings this great sport to the table, one of the oldest sports in the world, you know,” Covington said.

Schwartz, who boasts over $1 million in live tournament winnings ($7 million), is also from Florida, just like Covington. They faced off in several pots during Tuesday's Group B event in Las Vegas.

After Covington leaves the WSOP, he will return to focus on his long-awaited match against Tsarukyan, who has a 5-0 record at the RAF. The match will be streamed live on the FOX Nation app.

"We'll be traveling like rock stars, visiting different cities for the rest of the year. We're going to Miami, and then back to Las Vegas in October. It's going to be a great tour for Real American Freestyle," Covington said.

Colby Covington's thoughts on the White House production of UFC

Covington may no longer be on the UFC roster, but he still raves about the biggest—and most expensive—production in UFC history: the match card held at the White House on June 14.

“Yeah, that was a fantastic production, man,” Covington said of the UFC event at the White House. “UFC, you know, is top-notch when it comes to hosting the biggest fights in the world, you know, top-level fights and the craziest venues. Who would have thought there would be a UFC event on the South Lawn with the President of the United States watching? So, you know, it was amazing. They made history.”

"It was an exciting fight night. I know all the fans loved it. They're incredibly excited about the UFC and what they're doing."

However, Covington believes that UFC President and CEO Dana White will not hold another event at the White House due to the high production costs.

"I don't think the ROI is worthwhile for the UFC, so I don't think they'll do it again. But that's what makes it so special, so truly historic, because it's a one-time thing," Covington said.

As of press time, Covington still held a decent chip stack in the PLO High Roller event late in Day 1B. Regardless of whether he wins this event, he stated his plans to compete in the $50,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller event starting June 19th, before his upcoming RAF tournament.

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