Former interim UFC welterweight champion, Colby Covington has claimed he has received “assurances” from promotional brass, including Dana White, that undisputed division kingpin, Leon Edwards will be stripped of his championship gold if he refuses to share the Octagon with him this summer.
Covington, the current #2 ranked welterweight contender, is expected to make his Octagon return this summer in an undisputed title fight against Birmingham native Edwards, with the latter competing just last month.
Headlining UFC 286 against common-foe, Kamaru Usman, Edwards managed to secure his first defense of the throne and bookend his trilogy with the Auchi native in a majority decision victory in the pair’s rubber match.
Off the back of his triumph, Edwards was pegged to share the Octagon with Covington next – as the latter attended The O2 Arena event in London, England.
Reports emerged in the weeks following the event detailing how the organization are planning to return to the UK potentially on July 22. next for a UFC 292 pay-per-view card – with an undisputed welterweight title fight between Edwards and Covington floated.
Colby Covington claims he has received “assurances” from the UFC
Receiving multiple warnings from the outspoken challenger regarding a potential skirting of a fight against him, Covington has now claimed the UFC will force Edwards to relinquish his status as undisputed welterweight champion if he turns down a fight with him this summer.
“Dana White, the UFC, Hunter Campbell [UFC Chief Business Officer], and all those – I took them out in Miami, because i am the king of Miami,” Colby Covington told Submission Radio during a recent interview. “We had a great talk.”
“(Leon Edwards) has nowhere to go,” Colby Covington explained. “If Leon doesn’t wanna fight, I’ve already been assured that it’s okay, they’ll [the UFC] just strip him and I’m next in line – Dana has assured me I’m fighting him this summer.”