Colby Covington has built much of his public persona around politics, but the former interim UFC welterweight champion says he is ready to step away from that world. After years of openly supporting Donald Trump and campaigning at events, ‘Chaos’ revealed that his recent experiences have made him reconsider how much he wants to stay involved.

Speaking with Bloody Elbow, Colby Covington admitted that his interest in politics had shifted dramatically, despite his everlasting respect for the President of the United States.

“You know, I love Trump,” he said. “He’s a great guy. I’m not really, so politically, I think in the future, you won’t see me campaign; you won’t see me actively involved in politics.

“I don’t wanna be there. I think it’s a dirty game. I think that loyalty is never rewarded, and yeah, I don’t really wanna be a part of it anymore.”

The statement comes shortly after ‘Chaos’ publicly expressed his disappointment at being left off the upcoming UFC White House event, which he believed he was perfect for, given his close ties to the Trump family.

The outspoken welterweight stated that he was willing to fight anyone for the opportunity to compete in front of the former president, but the promotion ultimately went in a different direction.

According to Colby Covington, moments like this made him realize that politics may not be worth the effort, especially after years of publicly supporting certain politicians and causes. He admitted that he once had serious ambitions outside fighting, but those plans have since changed.

“My dream before was that I wanna be the governor of Florida,” he added. “I wanna be a senator. I wanna be a congressman.”

“Now I’m like, ‘No, I just wanna do business for Real American Beer. I wanna be in RAF, and I just wanna mind my own business in peace. I don’t wanna be in that dirty game.”

For a fighter who spent over a decade mixing politics and fighting, the transition is significant. But it doesn’t mean that he still isn’t close to the Trump family or holds any grudges toward them. After all, according to him, Donald Trump Jr. and his brother Eric Trump were willing to go to their father to get him on the biggest fight card of the year.

Colby Covington reveals the Trump family’s reaction to his UFC White House snub

Given his close ties to the Trump family, Colby Covington’s omission from the White House card surely surprised fans. In fact, according to ‘Chaos,’ even Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump were disappointed to see him excluded from the event.

Speaking about it, Covington revealed that both of them offered to intervene and speak with their father if necessary, but he didn’t want to take it that far.

“I’ve talked to them extensively about it,” Covington told Bloody Elbow. “They’re like, ‘We’d love to help, and if you want us to go to our dad, we could.’

“But they’ve got so much bigger things to focus on; Eric Trump runs the whole Trump organization with all those hotels, and Don Jr. is a very busy man.”

The outspoken welterweight went on to add that he never wanted to make the situation about himself, even if the event seemed like a logical fit considering his longtime support for the former president. Instead, he stated that he understood why the family had bigger priorities and that he would not seek special treatment simply to get a spot on the card.

According to Colby Covington, the moment only reinforced his belief that combining fighting and politics can be tricky, which is one of the reasons he now chooses to leave it all behind.