“What made him special?” Welterweight contender Colby Covington questions Leon Edward’s status as pound-for-pound number 3
Colby Covington questions Leon Edwards' pound-for-pound ranking after UFC 296.
Colby Covington questions Leon Edwards' pound-for-pound status (Source: IMAGO)
For a long time, fight fans considered Colby Covington the second-best welterweight after Kamaru Usman. Even UFC CEO Dana White stated Covington would’ve become the champion if not for Usman, the pound-for-pound king at the time. Welterweight champion Leon Edwards is now number 3 on the pound-for-pound list, something Covington seemed to disagree with.
Edwards won the title from Usman and defended it twice, the latest being against Covington. The American fighter lost the fight via unanimous decision, though he later claimed a broken foot in round 1 affected the result. In his recent appearance on The Rush With Maxx Crosby podcast, Covington questioned why Leon Edwards is number 3 on the pound-for-pound list.
I don't know what made him [Leon Edwards] so special in that fight [at UFC 296]. This guy's the number three pound-for-pound fighter. He didn't put any damage on my face; I didn't have one scratch. I had a couple of bruises on my legs and a broken foot, that was it. What made him so special?Colby Covington via The Rush With Maxx Crosby podcast
As he claimed he broke his foot in the fight, Covington felt a pound-for-pound ranked fighter should’ve easily defeated him. However, Edwards wasn’t able to do it. Moreover, he even stated the statistics of his landing more significant strikes on Edwards at UFC 296.
For Covington, Ian Garry is potentially next. However, he stated he has more interest in a fight with Belal Muhammad, potentially for a number one contender fight. Covington also has interest in a welterweight 5-round fight with Khamzat Chimaev. A trilogy fight with Usman is also a possibility, though slim.
Colby Covington speaks on former opponent Kamaru Usman
Colby Covington was 1B to Kamaru Usman’s 1A when the two were the best in the division. The pair fought twice against each other, though Usman was victorious on both occasions. Their first meeting was at UFC 245, where Usman won via 5th-round TKO.
In the second fight at UFC 268, Usman won via controversial unanimous decision. In his appearance on The Rush With Maxx Crosby podcast, Colby Covington revealed Usman as the toughest fighter he ever faced. However, he did not mince words when he made allegations against the “Nigerian Nightmare.”
He [Kamaru Usman] was a big, strong guy, you know, the CEO of EPO. I really do feel like he was on every steroid and on demand, you know. You could see it all, 'Come on, dude, you're in your mid-30s, you're having a chemical outbreak on your body like you're going through puberty again.'Colby Covington via The Rush With Maxx Crosby podcast
For Covington, Usman allegedly having pimples on his body was not realistic and not even scientifically possible. Even though Covington has long made these allegations, Usman has never had any trouble with UFC’s anti-doping partners.
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