MILWAUKEE – Like most fighters, Edson Barboza has an opinion on Colby Covington.

But his thoughts are a little more interesting, given he’s Brazilian – and Covington is an infamous Brazil-basher. And furthering the dilemma, there’s the fact Barboza earlier this year moved from his longtime New Jersey training base to South Florida to train at American Top Team – where Covington trains.

After Barboza (20-6 MMA, 14-6 UFC) demolished Dan Hooker (17-8 MMA, 7-4 UFC) with a third-round knockout in the UFC on FOX 31 co-main event in Milwaukee this past Saturday – and sent Hooker to the hospital – Barboza weighed in on moving to a gym that has Covington as one of its most in-the-news fighters.

“I never train with him because he’s in a different division, and ATT has 1,000 guys for every division,” Barboza said. “I never have an opportunity to train with him. I’ve seen him a couple times – he trains a lot. But I never had the opportunity to train with him.”

Covington (14-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) won the interim welterweight title in June against Rafael dos Anjos – from Brazil – at UFC 225. But that interim title was taken from him when he couldn’t make a fight with champion Tyron Woodley due to nasal surgery.

Instead, Woodley beat Darren Till. Covington presumed he still was next in line. But after Kamaru Usman (13-1 MMA, 9-0 UFC) dominated dos Anjos at the TUF 28 Finale, UFC President Dana White said Usman might have skipped to the front of the line.

After Covington beat Demian Maia at UFC Fight Night 119 in Sao Paulo in October 2017, he called Brazilians “filthy animals” during his in-cage interview and made himself the instant enemy of most Brazilian fighters.

“I really don’t worry about what he said,” Barboza said. “He doesn’t know Brazil. He tries to promote. But I know he’s about the fight – he’s a great fighter. I respect him. He does his job. If he thinks it’s good to talk like that and it’s good for him, it’s hard for me to say anything about him.”

But one thing is certain. Covington may go that route with his trash talk, but that’s not a road Barboza ever plans on going down.

“I would never do this if I’m a fighter,” he said. “I started martial arts at 8 years old, and my coach said never do this. Not only my coach, but my mom and my dad. I never disrespect an opponent, disrespect a country, disrespect nobody.”

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