Dana White suggests Leon Edwards doesn’t want to fight wrestler next amid rejection of Colby Covington clash
Dana White doubled down on his comment that Colby Covington would be the next man to challenge Leon Edwards for the UFC welterweight championship.
After successfully defending his title at UFC 286 earlier this month, ‘Rocky’ was informed that he would be expected to defend his 170-pound crown against the outspoken conservative wrestler later this year. That didn’t sit well with Edwards or most of the MMA community. During an appearance on The MMA Hour, Edwards contradicted his boss, saying that he would not fight Covington next and would instead turn his attention toward a more deserving contender, namely Belal Muhammad.
On Saturday night following UFC San Antonio, Dana White reiterated his original statement and wondered why anyone would suggest Colby Covington is not deserving of a title opportunity. When one member of the media referenced Covington’s lack of activity inside the Octagon, Dana White responded by saying:
“Well, he got jumped and was actually injured from that,” White snapped back. “Leon didn’t fight for almost two years. He got the shot. Listen, it’s not like I’m a big, ‘Oh Colby, Colby’ ya know? Colby Covington deserves the shot at the title and I don’t blame Usman. Leon just got through Usman twice and he’s looking at another wrestler with a funky style. That’s tough to deal with, but that’s it. When you become the champ, everybody’s coming after you. All the straight killers are coming at you for the next three times a f*cking year. You’re faced with nothing, but the baddest dudes in the world in your division.
And just in case Dana White wasn’t completely clear, he made sure to say it one more time.
“You’re the man Leon. You’re the guy. Everybody’s coming after you and it’s gonna be Colby next.”
Despite Dana White’s Insistence, Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington Makes No Sense
While Colby Covington’s lack of activity can be easily explained by injuries sustained at the hands of Jorge Masvidal outside of a Miami steakhouse last March, the UFC president didn’t address the fact that ‘Chaos’ is 2-2 in his last four with both losses coming in UFC title fights against then-champion Kamaru Usman. As for the wins, Covington bested Tyron Woodley, a fighter who is not currently on the UFC roster, and the aforementioned Jorge Masvidal, a fighter who is in the middle of a three-fight losing streak. Hardly impressive wins for a man that sits in the No. 2 spot of the welterweight rankings.
Meanwhile, fighters like Belal Muhammad are forced to continuously rack up wins with little to show for it. ‘Remember the Name’ has won eight in a row with the last three coming against fighters in the top ten including Sean Brady, Vicente Luque, and Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thomspon. Covington has not defeated any fighter in the division’s current top ten. Add in a lack of notable wins and two failed title opportunities already in the books and one thing becomes abundantly clear.
Colby Covington getting a title fight against Leon Edwards makes little sense. Clearly Dana White doesn’t see it that way and in the end, that’s all that matters, unfortunately.
