Colby Covington mocks Ian Machado Garry for the way he’s handled recent backlash.

Garry (13-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) has protected his posts on “X” and disabled the comments on his Instagram after plenty of people attacked him and his wife online, causing him to be concerned over the safety of his family.

Ahead of the biggest fight of his career vs. Vicente Luque on Saturday’s UFC 296 main card opener, Garry has been bashed for no longer being welcomed at Team Renegade, being allegedly knocked out in practice and his wife’s book labeled, “How to be a WAG” – a term used when referencing the wives and girlfriends of famous athletes.

Covington (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) is no stranger to being a heel and slammed Garry for letting the hate get to him. Both Covington and Garry will be a part of the UFC 296 pre-fight press conference Thursday.

“All I’ll say about Ian is if you step in shoes, junior, you better wipe that sh*t off,” Covington said in an interview with All Out Fighting. “I’ve had death threats, bombings, people wanted to kill me after Brazil. I never turned off my social media. I never turned off my comments. Look at that little Ian Garry. He’s turning off his comments like a little f*cking sensitive soy boy.

“He ain’t a tough. He ain’t the biggest and baddest f*cking fighter in the division. The guy’s a f*cking joke. He’s a little f*cking kid, so I don’t really have anything to say to him. You’ll see at the press conference, but my business and my attention is focused towards ‘Leon Scott’ and that’s all I care about right now.”

Covington headlines UFC 296 when he challenges welterweight champion Leon Edwards on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and early prelims on ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.