Following Leon Edwards’ impressive title defense against Kamaru Usman at UFC 286, UFC President Dana White announced that Colby Covington would be the next contender for the welterweight title.
But despite White’s announcement, Edwards recently stated that he is not interested in facing Covington, going as far as to say he wouldn’t sign a bout agreement if it were offered to him.
As the reigning champion, White feels that it is Edwards’ obligation to defend his title against the most deserving opponent, and he views Covington as just that. White openly asked reporters to explain why Covington shouldn’t be the next contender for Edwards, stating that if Usman didn’t exist, Covington would have been the champ for a while.
While some have criticized Covington’s inactivity, White dismissed these concerns, referencing an alleged encounter with Jorge Masvidal in which Covington was reportedly injured. He is adamant that Covington is more deserving of facing Edwards than anyone else in the division. He views Covington as a wrestler with a “funky style” that will prove challenging for Edwards, who has already faced and beaten Usman twice.
Now Colby’s head coach has come out and confirmed that UFC has indeed been in touch with them.
“Dana White has said it many times, Colby has said it many times. I don’t think Dana White will lie. I don’t UFC will, we are already training for Leon. Today I was training, I just got home and I was training. ”
He went on to confirm UFC was targeting the event for July in Las Vegas.