UFC welterweight Colby Covington needed extra security to get out of the arena after his last fight. For his next bout, he said he’ll have his own personal security detail to keep anyone from getting ideas.

“We’ve already taken those measures,” Covington, who faces former champion Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 225, told MMAjunkie Radio. “Luckily, my agent, Dan Lambert, has all the money in the world. He’s already hired a full security guard team, (and) whenever I go to events or anything related to the UFC, I will have armed security guards with me.”

Covington, who’s won his past five bouts, earned a shot at the UFC interim welterweight title, which was put up by the promotion when champ Tyron Woodley was sidelined because of shoulder surgery.

Originally, the UFC targeted the bout between Covington (13-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) and dos Anjos (28-9 MMA, 17-7 UFC) for UFC 224, which takes place May 12 at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. But later the promotion moved the fight to June 9 at United Center in Chicago.

No official reason was given for the switch. But with Covington’s presence increasing the likelihood of a violent incident in Rio – the result of his long verbal assault against Brazil and its fighters – it would be understandable if the promotion wanted to avoid a potential volatile situation.

The “Windy City” offers a considerably more stable security situation. But as Covington recently found out, the need for protection doesn’t only extend to the general public, but from his fellow UFC fighters.

This past November, ex-heavyweight champ Fabricio Werdum assaulted Covington by throwing a boomerang at him in Sydney, outside the host hotel for UFC Fight Night 121. The incident resulted in Werdum receiving a $600 fine from authorities.

And earlier this month at the UFC’s 25th anniversary press conference in Brooklyn, Covington got into a heated verbal exchange with Kamaru Usman, who called out Covington for being a “Twitter thug” and said he was willing to settle things outside the octagon.

Whether defending against fighters or random people, Covington won’t be put in a situation in which he has to defend himself.

“At the end of the day, we’re professional prize fighters – stop acting like street thugs,” Covington said. “We’re not going to fight in the streets. I get paid a lot of money to go in there and fight on pay-per-view. I’m not fighting in the street.

“All these guys that want to act tough and act like they’re hard in the street, that’s cool, man. I’m glad you want to act hard, and your emotions are driving crazy, but you need to get out of your feelings, nerds.”

For more on UFC 225, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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