Colby Covington makes double-champion vow ahead of Leon Edwards title shot
Colby Covington is set to face off against Leon Edwards at UFC 296 in Las Vegas this Saturday after an 18-month hiatus from the octagon. And despite being the underdog, Covington is already planning his first title defence and has his sights set on a potential shot at becoming a champion across two weight divisions.
In a recent interview with CODE Sports, Covington didn’t hold back when talking about middleweight champ Sean Strickland.
He said: “He’s (Strickland) pretending to be everything he wishes I was. I’d love to slap Sean Strickland around. He’s just a pathetic excuse of a human being, the guy has literally no fricking IQ.
“The guy’s so f****** stupid. The things he says, he needs to get his mouth wired shut and I’m the guy to do it. The UFC knows I’m the one that can end these guys that hate the company and they hate the world, so I would love to fight Sean Strickland.”
Meanwhile, Strickland will defend his title against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 on January 20, following his surprise win over Israel Adesanya at UFC 293. If Edwards manages to beat Covington, he too has expressed interest in facing the winner of the Strickland-Du Plessis match.
The middleweight division is packed with contenders ready to take on Strickland, making it unclear if Covington or Edwards could skip past the likes of Israel Adesanya, Khamzat Chimeav and Robert Whittaker.
When asked about the possibility of facing another contender like former middleweight champ Whittaker, Covington didn’t seem too thrilled.
He said: “No, that ship has sailed. Robert, he lost the title and then he got beat in a contender fight so he’s just not relevant anymore, he doesn’t make sense for me.
“I’m the top of the division, I’m about to be welterweight champion of the world, so I only want the biggest and best fights the UFC has to offer and I know they wouldn’t even waste my time and waste their time to try and put that fight together.”
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Covington hasn’t stepped into the octagon since his victory over his biggest rival, Jorge Masvidal. The two ex-training partners have been dealing with legal issues after Masvidal was accused of allegedly assaulting Covington after their match.
Despite his break following that fight, Covington wants to stay active and is ready to face anyone the UFC puts in front of him.
He said: “This is a business and they want to make money, so it’s all about making the biggest and best fights for the fans and for the UFC. Whatever the UFC says, they know I’m a yes man, I’m a company man, whatever they say, Colby Covington will agree on.”
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