Birmingham’s Leon Edwards, the reigning UFC welterweight champion, has lashed out at his upcoming opponent Colby Covington, calling him a ‘f****** weirdo’ ahead of their UFC 296 fight.
This weekend’s main event in the UFC’s final pay-per-view card of the year will see a new challenge for Edwards, who has previously faced Kamaru Usman in the octagon in his last two bouts, beating him twice to secure and defend his title.
Covington, who has been defeated twice by Usman, is next in line to face Edwards – a wrestler with an impressive 17-3 record. Despite losing to Usman, some believe Covington could be the favourite this weekend, with the 35-year-old American speaking confidently heading into the octagon on Saturday.
But Edwards himself is confident in what he’ll be able to do, questioning the legitimacy of his opponent being given the title shot after having 18 months away from fighting with his last bout being a win over Jorge Masvidal in March 2022.
Covington, known for his trash talk, has been ramping up his verbal attacks on Edwards, labelling him a “quitter”.
But Edwards remains unfazed, telling Ariel Helwani on MMA Fighting: “I just ignore it. Even outside of fighting, me and him would never be friends.
“We’re just two different human beings and two different men. Our morals are different as men. That’s it. I’ll go out there and it makes it easier for me to train, it makes it easier for me to go out and punch a hole in his face, and that’s it.”
Edwards also likened Covington to Stifler from American Pie, suggesting he might rehearse lines for their pre-fight press conference. He added: “‘I’m going to play a character because I’m about to get cut from the UFC.’ It’s easier for someone like that to tolerate, just laugh at him. You’re just a f****** weirdo. That’s it.
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“You can say word for word what he’s going to say. You can know how he’s going to dress. He’s just a character that’s funny and a clown. We just enjoy it for what it is.”
Covington has spent time with ex-President Donald Trump before the fight this weekend at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida. Trump has confirmed he’ll be in attendance, hoping to see ‘Chaos’ beat Edwards and win the belt for the first time.
Both Edwards and Covington have confessed they’d like to try their luck at middleweight if they win, eyeing a shot at Sean Strickland’s belt after his victory over Israel Adesanya.
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