Leon Edwards is going into his second welterweight world title defense with the belief that his employer wants to see him lose.
Nine months following his decisive decision victory over Kamaru Usman to retain the 170-pound crown, ‘Rocky’ will once again put the strap on the line, this time against a fighter who has already tried and failed on two separate occasions to claim it, Colby Covington.
Nearly two years removed from his victory over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272, ‘Chaos’ will stumble into yet another title opportunity, a decision that has fighters, fans, and Edwards still scratching their heads. In the last four years, ‘Chaos’ has gone 2-2 inside the Octagon, his two losses coming against then-champion Kamaru Usman, the man Edwards just got done defeating not once, but twice. Covington’s only wins have come against Tyron Woodley and the aforementioned Masvidal, two fighters who are now retired from MMA following multi-fight losing streaks.
Appearing on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Edwards was asked why he believes Covington is getting another shot at UFC gold despite doing very little to earn it.
“I spoke to the UFC, I spoke to everyone and, I don’t know. They brought him in March to weigh in, which was random, I don’t know why. He’s got Dana White privilege right, and that’s it. He fought Masvidal, everyone he’s beat in the last five years is retired right? They’ve all been feeding him these guys on the backend of their careers” (h/t BJPenn.com).
Leon Edwards says the UFC "probably" wants Colby Covington to win
#TheMMAHour
"I think [Donald] Trump wants him to win. I don’t know. None of it matters, right? My whole career’s been the underdog going against the favorite."
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) December 11, 2023
Leon Edwards is Happy to play the underdog once again
To his credit, Colby Covington has a solid 12-3 record under the UFC banner. Since 2016, his only losses have come against Kamaru Usman. However, ‘Chaos’ does not hold a win over a single fighter in the current welterweight top 15 and of his last nine wins, only three of those fighters, Max Griffin, Bryan Barberena, and Rafael dos Anjos are still employed by the UFC.
“For some reason, he’s got this mad mentality that he deserves more than he’s earned,” Edwards said. “For some reason, the UFC is going with it, and here we are. I’m prepared, I’m ready, and I’m going to show him the levels… Probably [they want him to win], Trump wants him to win. I don’t know, none of it matters right?”
“My entire career has been like the underdog going against the favorite. I think this is no different. My mentality, my background, it’s all perfect to where my career is going. It all works out perfect for me. So, it is what it is.”
Leon Edwards goes into Saturday’s bout riding an 11-fight win streak dating back to May 2016.