Colby Covington Chokes Out Lil Pump in Livestream Stunt
A 2024 livestream showed Colby Covington choking rapper Lil Pump until he lost consciousness. Pump said he agreed to the stunt, though it drew safety criticism.
What viewers saw on the livestream
The clip came from Lil Pump’s Kick livestream on September 21, 2024. Covington, an experienced professional fighter, secured a rear-naked choke while grappling with the rapper. The video shows Lil Pump tapping and then going limp before Covington released the hold. MMA Fighting’s report described the sequence and identified the technique. A choke can briefly render a person unconscious by restricting blood flow to the brain, which is why trained grapplers are expected to release immediately when a partner taps or appears unresponsive.
Lil Pump’s account changed the context
After the video spread, Lil Pump addressed the apparent taps in an Instagram post. He said he had signed a waiver and told Covington to “try his best to choke me out even if I was tapping out,” pointing viewers to the start of the stream for context. Sports Illustrated reported his explanation. That statement matters: early reactions treated the taps as a clear withdrawal of consent, while Pump said in advance he had asked Covington to continue despite them.
Consent to a risky stunt does not make the physical danger disappear. The clip shows a person losing consciousness, but the reviewed reports did not describe a lasting injury or a hospital visit. It is also not possible to assess every detail of the waiver or agreement from the video alone. Those limits call for care when describing the event: Lil Pump characterized it as something he had agreed to, and viewers still criticized how it looked and the risk involved.
Why the footage drew backlash
Many viewers objected to a trained fighter holding a choke until his partner was unconscious, especially because the clip appeared to show repeated tapping. Reports documented online criticism of Covington’s decision to continue the hold. Coverage from News.com.au summarized that reaction. The backlash was about safety and what the video appeared to show; it was not proof that the two had arranged a real fight or that the UFC had made a disciplinary decision.
A stunt outside the Octagon
The incident took place during online content, not a regulated bout. Covington was a seasoned MMA athlete; Lil Pump was a rapper participating in a livestream. The power imbalance helps explain why the clip unsettled viewers, while Lil Pump’s later statement provides context missing from some first-day headlines. The clearest account holds both facts together: he said he consented to the stunt, and the footage showed him briefly losing consciousness after a choke.
For athletes and creators, a waiver or a joke does not replace careful supervision when a maneuver can cause someone to pass out. This episode became a flashpoint because the safety signal viewers expect—a tap—was visible in the clip, while Lil Pump later said he had asked Covington not to treat it as a request to stop.
