Colby Covington firmly believes he is Leon Edwards‘ next opponent.
Of course, the UFC Welterweight Champion wasn’t too sold on potentially fighting Covington after defeating Kamaru Usman a second time at UFC 286. After UFC President Dana White claimed ‘Chaos’ was next for the title, Edwards expressed he’d rather fight a victorious Jorge Masvidal over an inactive Covington.
Covington On Edwards Wanting ‘Gamebred’ Instead
Covington has since responded to Edwards’ plea to potentially fight Masvidal after UFC 287, citing there is no way out from a fight with him.
“It’s not gonna happen,” Covington told Submission Radio. “Dana White was asked about that… ‘what if Jorge goes out there and sparks Gilbert [Burns]?’ He said, ‘it doesn’t matter, a hundred percent Colby’s next. So there, there’s no avoiding this for Leon Scott anymore. The guy’s gotta go, come take this losing paycheck, this ass whooping.
“He’s gonna get his ass whooped. He’s gonna get sent back to England crying. You know, he is gonna go to his mind crying, but they’re not gonna be, you know, tears of joy this time. They’re gonna be tears of sadness and he’s got no choice. So, he’s got nowhere to go. We will fight.”
Timeframe
Lining up a fight with Leon may take some time, but Covington is confident he’ll fight the champ in the summer… potentially at UFC 290.
“It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. So, hopefully it’ll end up being July in International Fight Week, the biggest and best stage. Do it with Jon Jones on the card. I just think it’ll be an entertaining weekend.”
Why Covington Is Getting Another Title Shot
Last weekend, Dana White seemed pretty dead-set on giving Covington another go at the title. Everybody else? Not so much since there is also Belal Muhammad in the mix, unbeaten in his last 9 fights.
Who should get the next welterweight title shot? (Keeping in mind Dana said that Chimaev is moving to middleweight)
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) March 19, 2023
But, Covington’s reasoning for why the UFC is granting him another title fight isn’t just based off his resume, it’s based on his ability to sell a fight and him being ‘the ultimate professional’.
“[White] just pretty much told me, you’re next, so get ready. We’re gonna try and book it as soon as possible. I’m sure we’ll talk again in the coming weeks. I know they’re coming to Miami soon, so we’ll probably meet there. What he said in the press conference is assurance in itself. He’s not gonna go back on his word. He gave me the promise to guarantee cause I’m an ultimate professional. I showed up on a day’s notice, cut 18 pounds, was ready to fight either one of those on a moment’s notice and get my belt back. So now they know how serious I am, how determined I am right now, and how focused I am in regaining my title.
“It comes from the numbers. Numbers don’t lie. Everybody knows I draw the numbers, whether you love me or whether you hate me. Everybody wants to see me right now. There’s a lot of nerds out there crying. They’re so sad, ‘Oh, he doesn’t deserve this and that. It’s because they know what’s coming. They know I’m about to be the undisputed champion of the world. They can’t stop it now.”
Covington continued.
“They can’t stop the Colby train. It’s unhinging, it’s unstoppable right now. And they know what’s coming, so that’s why they’re crying. If they knew I was gonna get sent in there to get slaughtered, then they’d be like, ‘Oh yeah, Colby go out there and get slaughtered’. But they know what’s coming. They know Leon’s nothing special. I’m a 10 times better fighter here. I’m the best welterweight in the world right now. I’m gonna go show it soon. So, I can’t wait.”
