"It’s just such a nasty thing to do"- When Dana White got brutally honest about Colby Covington trash-talking Leon Edwards before UFC 296

Dana White once voiced his criticism of Colby Covington’s insults directed at Leon Edwards in the lead-up to UFC 296. 'Chaos' has repeatedly relied on trash talk to hype his fights, often using provocative remarks to get under his opponents' skin. Covington's title bout against Edwards in December 2023 was no exception, featuring plenty of inflammatory comments.

The former UFC interim welterweight champion brought up Edwards's murdered father during their pre-fight press conference and subsequently reinforced his controversial remarks. Many felt Covington had overstepped boundaries with his offensive comments, with White among the critics who believed he had gone too far.

During the UFC 296 post-fight press conference, the UFC CEO vehemently criticized 'Chaos' for his comments about the deceased father of the former 170-pound champion and condemned such behavior as uncalled for:

"It bothered everybody. What I say is true: We’re in the fight game, and lots of mean things are said. [But] one of the things that I really don’t like is family [trash talk]. When you start going after family, whether it’s the kids, the wife, the parents, whatever, it’s just such a nasty thing to do. But again, this is one of those sports where you say horrible things, and then 24 hours later, it goes down."

Check out Dana White's comments below (5:50):

Despite clearly being impacted by the remarks, 'Rocky' remained unfazed during the fight and delivered a commanding performance against Covington, securing a unanimous decision victory to successfully defend his title.

---

When Dana White said Colby Covington "looked slow and old" during UFC 296 defeat to Leon Edwards

During the UFC 296 post-fight press conference, Dana White assessed Colby Covington's performance against Leon Edwards. The UFC CEO stated that 'Chaos' appeared sluggish and out of his prime, noting that the extended time spent waiting for a title shot had clearly taken its toll on him:

"Colby has been in big fights before. This isn’t Colby’s first rodeo; he’s been in big fights. Colby just looked slow and old tonight, in my opinion. I guess my take on it, and let me know what you guys think, but when you’re 35 years old or any age in this sport, and you’re like, ‘Yeah, I’m going to wait,’ waiting is never a good idea in this sport. This sport doesn’t wait for anybody." [7:55]