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Stephen Thompson believes Leon Edwards will ‘pick apart’ Colby Covington in anticipated UFC title clash

Stephen Thompson is backing Leon Edwards to come out on top in a welterweight title clash with Colby Covington. ‘Wonderboy’ is back in action on Saturday night as the promotion heads to the Delta Center in Salt Lake City for UFC 291. Thompson will look to build on his win against Kevin Holland in December […]

Stephen Thompson is backing Leon Edwards to come out on top in a welterweight title clash with Colby Covington.

‘Wonderboy’ is back in action on Saturday night as the promotion heads to the Delta Center in Salt Lake City for UFC 291. Thompson will look to build on his win against Kevin Holland in December as he faces flashy welterweight standout Michel Pereira as part of a stacked main card.

Ahead of his highly anticipated return to the Octagon, Stephen Thompson spoke with members of the media to discuss the state of the welterweight division, including the proposed title tilt between division champion Leon Edwards and perennial contender Colby Covington. Asked how he sees that fight going, ‘Wonderboy’ answered without hesitation.

“Oh, I got Leon winning,” Thompson told reporters at the UFC 291 media event on Wednesday. “I mean, you saw what Usman did to Colby the last two fights. Colby is not a big welterweight and Leon is fairly a big welterweight, a lot bigger than Colby. Colby is known for his cardio, but Leon showed in his last two fights that he’s got the cardio with the best of them, and he’s got the grappling to defend the takedown and get back up.

“Kamaru is a very strong wrestler. I think he’s a lot stronger than Colby. So if Usman couldn’t hold Leon down, I don’t think Colby could. I think the fight stays standing and Leon picks him apart. That’s what I’m seeing from the fights that I’ve seen these guys face Usman in. The thing is, it doesn’t matter if it’s first round or last round. Watching his first fight with (Usman), you have to be, you can’t take this fight lightly as the fight goes on. He’s dangerous every step of the way” (h/t MMA Junkie).

Though no official announcement has been made, all signs point toward Edwards vs. Covington going down at UFC 295 inside the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden.

Derrick Lewis detailed scary weight-cutting incident before last UFC fight: ‘I felt like I actually died’

Derrick Lewis‘ last weight cut had the heavyweight fan favorite feeling like it would be his last after suffering an eye-opening blackout. The Black Beast’ returns to the Octagon on Saturday night as part of the promotion’s stacked UFC 291 card in the Crossroads of the West, Salt Lake City. After coming up short in […]

Derrick Lewis‘ last weight cut had the heavyweight fan favorite feeling like it would be his last after suffering an eye-opening blackout.

The Black Beast’ returns to the Octagon on Saturday night as part of the promotion’s stacked UFC 291 card in the Crossroads of the West, Salt Lake City. After coming up short in three of his last four, Derrick Lewis is determined to get back to his winning ways when he meets Brazilian mainstay Marcos Rogério de Lima.

Speaking to members of the press during the UFC 291 media event on Wednesday, Lewis revealed some serious health issues he was dealing with during his last few fights. He noted a scary situation where he passed out during an especially difficult weight cut ahead of his fight with Sergei Spivac in February.

“The last few fights I haven’t been healthy, point blank, period,” Lewis told reporters. “The last fight, I actually passed out just before weigh-ins. I blacked out. My coaches had to carry me. … I just didn’t have the energy the rest of the week.”

Derrick Lewis revealed that much of his difficulty has been due to his last-minute approach to cutting weight, a routine he has since abandoned.

“What’s been going on is like, I wait three days before weigh-ins, then start trying to cut weight,” Lewis said. “I cut like 25 pounds in three days. Just not eating and drinking water. Probably a little something to eat” (h/t MMA Junkie).

Derrick Lewis recalls blacking out in a "scary moment" before weigh-ins for his last fight: "I felt like I actually died." #UFC291 pic.twitter.com/ziRajqE5n7

— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) July 26, 2023

Derrick Lewis Felt Like He Had ‘Actually Died’ During Ill-Advised Weight Cut

Derrick Lewis, who will be making his 27th walk to the Octagon, described the moment as a bit of a reality check for him. Since then, he has taken a more measured approach to achieving his target weight.

“It was a big eye-opener,” Lewis said. “It was just always in the back of my head during the fight. Like, I felt like I actually died. I was thinking about all the other fighters that went through something like that, and they blacked out and came back, and they couldn’t fight. They didn’t let the fighter fight. Good thing it happened at the P.I. and they gave me all the stuff I needed to get up and walk up out of there. But it was a very scary moment, though.”

Looking back on the moment and the fight, Derrick Lewis is admittedly still disappointed in himself for coming up short in a bout he feels he could have and should have won.

“It really sucks because I know I should have beat that guy,” Lewis said. “I had a lot to prove that fight and I just feel like I let myself down. I just really wanted that back. I feel like right now is a perfect opportunity to fight this guy right here, even though I don’t remember his name. I’m pretty sure after Saturday I’m going to remember his name.”

With a newfound focus on properly cutting weight and his overall health, Derrick Lewis is determined to snap a three-fight losing skid in Salt Lake City.

“Y’all will for sure see a six pack on me this weekend. For sure. Even after weigh-ins, I’m going to have a six pack. If not, y’all can talk sh*t post-fight.”

Tony Ferguson dismisses talk of retirement ahead of UFC 291: ‘I’m just barely hitting my prime’

Former interim lightweight champion, Tony Ferguson has claimed he is still in his fighting prime ahead of his return to the Octagon at UFC 291 this weekend, shutting down any potential plans for a retirement from combat sports. Ferguson, a former interim lightweight champion under the banner of the UFC, has been sidelined since he […]

Ferguson, a former interim lightweight champion under the banner of the UFC, has been sidelined since he headlined UFC 279 back in September of last year, suffering his fifth consecutive loss in the form of a fourth round guillotine choke defeat to Nate Diaz in an impromptu welterweight headliner.

Tony Ferguson denies talk of any potential retirement

Making a lightweight division return this weekend, the Oxnard native takes on fellow veteran striker, Bobby Green on the main card of UFC 291, and despite riding a career-worst run – after previously embarking on a division-best 12-fight winning run, Ferguson insists he has no intention of calling time on his storied career.

“I feel at this point in time in my life, I’m barely hitting my prime, which is crazy,” Tony Ferguson told assembled media ahead of UFC 291. “One of my coaches, Juan, earlier we were doing mitts between interviews and I told him, ‘I’d be getting up eatly, I have to lay down, I know I have to lay down.’ And I got up and did my interview, and I was like, ‘Hey, is the room open. He went down and said yeah, I said, ‘I’d be right there, bring your mitts.’ I didn’t even wrap up, and I hit pads.”

“Nobody else is going to tell me (to retire),” Tony Ferguson explained. “They can propose to say, “Oh, Tony, whatever. He’s going to retire.’ No, motherf*ckers. F*ck you. I’m going to be done when I want to be done. But I’m also going to have to do what I have to do to get to where I want to get. Five fights and a title, baby.”

Can Tony Ferguson snap his losing run this weekend at UFC 291?

Dustin Poirier offers to fight Nate Diaz after UFC 291 return: ‘If he comes back, I’ll beat him up’

Seemingly on a continued collision course with veteran welterweight, Nate Diaz, former interim lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier has offered to fight the Stockton native in the future – particularly if he makes good on a planned return to the UFC. Poirier, who returns to the Octagon this weekend atop a UFC 291 pay-per-view card in […]

Poirier, who returns to the Octagon this weekend atop a UFC 291 pay-per-view card in Salt Lake City, Utah – takes on former opponent and fellow former interim titleholder, Justin Gaethje in a rematch, with symbolic BMF championship spoils on the line.

As for Diaz, the Californian veteran is slated to make his return to combat sports next month, taking on the outspoken, Jake Paul in a professional boxing debut in Dallas, Texas.

Sidelined from competition since September of last year, Diaz most recently headlined UFC 279, submitting former interim lightweight gold holder, Tony Ferguson with a fourth round guillotine choke, before departing the organization following the completion of his contractual obligations.

Expected to fight Lafayette native, Poirier back in 2018 in the co-headliner of UFC 230 in Madison Square Garden, both Diaz or Poirier failed to officially pen terms for a battle in New York City at the lightweight limit, with both placing the blame on each other’s doorstep in the time since.

However, prior to Diaz’s eventual clash with Ferguson last year, Dustin Poirier had called for a welterweight fight with the Stockton native – ultimately to no avail, in a bid to settle their long-standing rivalry.

Dustin Poirier remains open to a fight with Nate Diaz in the future

Ahead of UFC 291 this weekend, Poirier insists that should Diaz make good on his planned return to the Octagon, he would welcome the opportunity to fight him at long last.

“Dude, like I always say, I don’t look too far ahead and book myself in fights that aren’t even realistic or a possibility, until other things happen,” Dustin Poirier told assembled media ahead of UFC 291. “If he (Nate Diaz) comes back, I’ll beat him up.”

Will Nate Diaz make good on a planned return to the UFC?

Kevin Holland takes hilarious dig at Colby Covington during UFC 291 media event: ‘He starts sniffing my d*ck…’

Kevin Holland once again stole the show during his UFC 291 media day appearance on Wednesday. Fighters were on hand in Salt Lake City as the promotion is just days away from another stacked event in the Crossroads of the West on Saturday night. In the main event of the evening, fans will witness a […]

Kevin Holland once again stole the show during his UFC 291 media day appearance on Wednesday.

Fighters were on hand in Salt Lake City as the promotion is just days away from another stacked event in the Crossroads of the West on Saturday night. In the main event of the evening, fans will witness a rematch five years in the making as high-octane fan favorites Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier square off in a five-round headliner to crown the next BMF champion.

Before fans are treated to that potential Fight of the Year contender, ‘Trailblazer’ Kevin Holland will look to add another win to his resume as he is set to scrap with The Ultimate Fighter alumnus Michael Chiesa inside the Delta Center. Ahead of their clash in the cage, Holland spoke with the media during the UFC 291 media day and did not disappoint, giving tips on how to juggle multiple women and labeling himself as one of the promotion’s undisputed bad motherf*ckers.

But of all the things Kevin Holland said during his time with the press, nothing got more attention than his dig at perennial welterweight contender Colby Covington.

Addressing the grapple-heavyweight style of Michael Chiesa and his own deficiencies on the ground, Kevin Holland revealed that his interest in fighting Chiesa hinged on his desire to test out his wrestling skills in an actual fight. Not to suggest that his skills are greater than his opponents. It was then that Holland brought up Covington’s name, taking a dig at the outspoken wrestler’s smothering style of fighting that is anything, but fan-friendly.

“I want to work on my wrestling in the cage against Michael Chiesa,” Holland said. I didn’t say that my wrestling was good enough to beat Colby Covington, you know what I mean? Now, me and Colby Covington get in there, I still believe I’ll knock him the f*ck out, but you know, he starts sniffing my d*ck, and it might be like that for 25 minutes, so that’s just the way it goes.”

You can expect Colby Covington’s scathing response in 3…2…

Kevin Holland Has Some Work to Do If He Wants to Step Inside the Octagon with Colby Covington

If Kevin Holland manages to get his hand raised on Saturday night, it will likely push him into the welterweight division’s top-15, though he won’t be anywhere within earshot of Covington who currently occupies the No. 2 spot. Whether or not ‘Chaos’ deserves to be ranked that high is an entirely different conversation, but ‘Trailblazer’ definitely has some work cut out for him if he ever hopes to share the Octagon with Covington.

Of course, Holland may shy away from the potential meeting altogether depending on how protective he is of his pelvic region.

Meanwhile, ‘Chaos’ is eagerly awaiting his third UFC welterweight title opportunity after coming up short against ex-champ Kamaru Usman on two separate occasions. In his last four bouts, Covington has only secured two wins which came against fighters who are no longer active; Tyron Woodley and Jorge Masvidal.

Tony Ferguson admits change in mindset ahead of UFC 291 return: ‘It feels good to be back in a different way’

Former interim lightweight champion, Tony Ferguson attempts to prevent a stunning six-fight losing skid in his return to the division this weekend at UFC 291 – admitting he is “back in a different way” amid a return to prior training routines ahead of his bout with Bobby Green. Ferguson, a former interim lightweight champion, has […]

Ferguson, a former interim lightweight champion, has been sidelined since he headlined UFC 279 back in September of last year in an impromptu welterweight main event with fellow veteran, Nate Diaz, turning in an impressive performance before a fourth round guillotine choke lsos to the Stockton native.

The defeat came as Ferguson’s fifth consecutively, following back-to-back defeats against Michael Chandler, Beneil Dariush, Charles Oliveira, and Justin Gaethje – a far cry from form which saw him embark on a division-best 12-fight winning run and an interim title clinching win prior to 2020.

Tony Ferguson looks to snap a five-fight losing run in his UFC 291 return

And returning to lightweight limits for his UFC 291 outing with fellow Californian veteran, Green this weekend in a main card clash in Salt Lake City, Ferguson appears to have taken things back-to-basics, with a return to a ‘Big Bear’ training regiment.

“We were staying up in Big Bear around like 72, 7,400 feet up in the air, training, puking, dragging sh*t, picking up sh*t and throwing it, battling bears,” Tony Ferguson said during an episode of UFC 291 Embedded.

“This feels good, man,” Tony Ferguson explained. “It feels good to be back; back in a different way. I love all you guys, but I’m doing this for me now. (Transcribed by MMA News)

Prior to his 2020 standing TKO loss to Gaethje, Oxnard native, Ferguson had turned in a string of victories over the likes of Gleison Tibau, Josh Thompson, Edson Barboza, Rafael dos Anjos, Anthony Pettis, Donald Cerrone, and landing an interim lightweight title against Kevin Lee back in 2017.