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After UFC 286, it was announced that Colby 'Chaos' Covington will take on Leon 'Rocky' Edwards for the welterweight strap. In typical Covington fashion, Colby has begun launching verbal assaults at Edwards.
In an interview with James Lynch, Covington stated that it was a perfect matchup for him stylistically, and broke down the holes he sees in Edwards' game:
"Styles make fights. You know, he doesn't fight very well against southpaws. It's funny that I say that because Marty (Kamaru Usman) started out the whole first round as southpaw. I thought this is strange, Marty never comes out southpaw. Maybe he saw a weakness in Leon that he doesn't fight very well against southpaws?
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"I mean look at what happened when Leon fought a guy I destroyed for three rounds? I mean, Bryan Barbarena dropped Leon with an uppercut, he's a southpaw, and many people thought he won that fight. It's a great stylistic matchup for me." (0:02 - 0:41)
Watch as Colby Covington talks about the Leon Edwards fight here:
Edwards hit back at Covington, stating that he doesn't deserve the shot and declined to fight Colby. UFC boss Dana White, however, confirmed that the two will face off next, so it appears to be Covington vs. Edwards for welterweight gold sometime in 2023.
Colby Covington to face Leon Edwards for the welterweight title next
After a long layoff, Colby Covington weighed in as the backup fighter for UFC 286's main event. Since beating Jorge Masvidal in March 2022, Covington went on something of a hiatus.
Media were surprised to see him weigh-in for UFC 286, given his lack of interviews in the recent past. When Dana White announced that Covington would take on Edwards for the welterweight strap next, it all made sense.
Watch as Dana White confirms Colby Covington to be Leon Edwards' next defense:
Although Colby Covington has been away from the game for a while, he, alongside Belal Muhammad, does merit a title shot. Covington's fights with Usman were extremely close, and he was dominant against every other opponent, including the likes of former champions Tyron Woodley and Jorge Masvidal.
