UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington recently attempted to share some inspirational advice with his followers during a Twitch stream, but his mathematical calculation raised eyebrows among viewers.
“That’s what I like – one percent better every day, and by the end of the year you’ll be 365 better,” Covington stated during his live stream, “which is a drastic improvement on anything you’re doing in life.”
While Covington’s sentiment about continuous improvement resonates with many self-help philosophies, his math doesn’t quite compute. Improving by one percent daily for a year would actually result in a compound effect of approximately 37.8 times improvement (1.01^365), not 365 percent as he suggested.
The mathematical misstep comes amid ongoing career challenges for the former interim UFC welterweight champion. Covington has struggled recently with a 2-4 record in his past six fights, including a doctor’s stoppage TKO loss to Joaquin Buckley in his most recent appearance at UFC on ESPN 63.
According to former opponent Michael Chiesa, Covington’s focus may be shifting away from competition. “He has said it himself, streamers make more money than fighters. I think he’s aspiring to be a streamer more than he is a fighter,” Chiesa told MMA on Sirius XM.
Chiesa also revealed some behind-the-scenes interactions with Covington during their time as assistant coaches on Season 33 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Despite public tension, Chiesa claims they had more cordial private exchanges.
“When we were wrapping up the fights, semifinals are done, I go back in the locker room, I’m shaking all the coaches’ hands on Chael’s team,” Chiesa recounted. “I see Colby and I’m like, ‘Hey, good season. If you want to do it, let’s scrap.’ He was like, ‘Absolutely, if that’s what the bosses want, then I’ll do it. Just know that anything I said or did, it’s a lot of respect.'”
However, Chiesa suggests Covington later rejected the potential matchup, which Chiesa views as a missed opportunity. “At this point in time, I’m going to let it go. Colby is on his way out. He can do what he wants to do,” said Chiesa, who is preparing to face Court McGee at UFC on ESPN 69 on June 14 in Atlanta.
Whether Covington continues his UFC career or transitions to full-time content creation remains to be seen. For now, fans are left with his slightly miscalculated motivational message – well-intentioned, if mathematically flawed.
