“I Definitely Have a Say”- Leon Edwards Shuts Down Colby Covington Fight Talks, as He Exposes Dana White Privilege

The main event of UFC 286 was indeed a spectacular fight. Kamaru Usman and  Leon Edwards went at each other for the third time, and ‘Rocky’ rose victorious via decision. However, the MMA world received a blow when Dana White revealed the fighter who would get the next chance to fight the champion. The UFC president announced that Colby Covington was next in line to get the title shot. 

In a recent appearance on Ariel Helwani’s talk show, ‘The MMA Hour’, Edwards revealed his rancor at White’s decision. The UFC welterweight champion seemed to believe that Covington wasn’t worthy of getting the title shot. He backed up his belief with Covington’s past fights. Furthermore, ‘Chaos’ getting a title shot despite missing for a year, seemingly frustrated the champion even more.

Leon Edwards opines to Colby Covington getting a title shot

In a recent interview with Edwards, Helwani pointed out that almost every other combat sport lets the champ have a say in their next fight. However, after the UFC boss declared the next fighter in line for a chance at claiming the welterweight title, Helwani apparently had doubts. Nevertheless, ‘Rocky’ was ready to answer that.

Edwards claimed he indeed had a say in the decision and was strictly against White’s decision. Moreover, he talked about how hard he had to work in order to become the champion and compared Covington’s past fights. He said, “I definitely have a say. And listen, he [Covington] ain’t getting the title shot next fight. Look at the road I had to take to get there. There’s no way you’re getting beat twice by the guy that I just beat twice, went out and beat [Jorge] Masvidal, and then sit out for a year and a half, not even tweeting or nothing, just go missing for a year, and then randomly pops up at the weigh-ins and it’s like, ‘Okay, he’s fighting for the title next.’”

Read More: “You See Him Looking Directly at His Corner” – Colby Covington Softens Up to Kamaru Usman as He Blasts Leon Edwards

On top of that, he also talked about how Covington dodged a fight against Khamzat Chimaev, while Edwards got the Chechen Wolf “three times in a row”. ‘Rocky’ said, “I took the [Chimaev] fight, and [Covington] didn’t take the fight, and he’s getting rewarded for not taking the fight. When it was me, I got removed from the rankings. So ‘Dana White privilege’ is definitely real.”

The real reason behind Covington getting the next title shot

At the UFC 286 post-fight press conference, ‘Chaos’ revealed that he reported at the weigh-ins on a 24-hour notice. It was revealed that White asked Covington to be ready in case one of the fighter opted out. The former interim champion claimed that he cut 18 lbs in a short period and reported for the fight.

Apparently, this impressed the UFC president, and he gave Covington a chance over other fighters at the welterweight title. Undeniably, the MMA world was not happy with the decision.

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Do you think Covington should get the next title shot? Let us know in the comments down below.