Colby Covington took a moment away from playing 18-holes of golf to pander to the UFC’s UK fanbase while simultaneously attempting to turn Leon Edwards’ home country against him.
Covington, the welterweight division’s No. 2 ranked contender despite going 2-2 in his last four fights, is in line for a crack at Leon Edward’s 170-pound crown. When that takes place is yet to be determined, but the where is all, but guaranteed to be in the UK, Edwards’ home country. The UFC is currently scheduled for a return to The Big Smoke on July 22, but according to Covington, the event will only be a Fight Night card and not a full-blown pay-per-view because of Leon Edwards’ refusal to fight.
“On my way back in a chopper, just played 18-holes at Trump International West Palm Beach with my good friend Michael Wall and I heard the news so I just wanted to take a moment out of my busy schedule to apologize to the fans in the UK,” Covington said in a video on Twitter. “The fanbase over there is incredible and the UFC and I were ready to pull out all the stops to bring the biggest card the UK has ever seen in the O2 [Arena] this summer.
“Leon Scott is the one person who thinks the UK fans aren’t worthy and deserve a Fight Night instead of a pay-per-view. What an a**hole. I vow to right this wrong and defend my world title in a blockbuster pay-per-view in the UK. God bless you all.”
A Message From Americas Champ to The People of The United Kingdom #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/1PAEF06cY6
— Colby Covington (@ColbyCovMMA) May 10, 2023
Of course, Colby Covington does not currently hold a world title but enjoys parading around the narrative that he is the uncrowned welterweight champion as he continues to accuse reigning titleholder Leon Edwards of dodging him and downright refusing to fight.
With the promotion’s pay-per-view plans pretty much set in stone for the remainder of the year, it’s altogether possible that we may not see Edwards vs. Covington happen in 2023 unless the UFC chooses to tack it onto one of their remaining seven premium events. In all likelihood, the promotion would rather wait for a UK date that fits their schedule. Sadly, that could be as far out as March 2024.
Edwards captured the welterweight world title at UFC 278, scoring a hail-mary head kick against former champion Kamaru Usman. Seven months later, the pair would run it back with ‘Rocky’ earning a decisive unanimous decision victory to retain his title.
Covington, much to the surprise of everyone, weighed in as the official backup for the rematch after staying off the radar for the better part of a year. Covington’s last appearance inside the Octagon came in March 2022 when he bested bitter rival Jorge Masvidal in the UFC 272 main event. Having only fought four times in the last five years, many fans, and Edwards himself, continue to question what exactly ‘Chaos’ has done in order to justify a third opportunity at capturing UFC gold.
