The UFC world was left stunned after Dana White announced that Colby Covington would be the next title challenger for Leon Edwards. While many consider Covington to be an elite welterweight, there is an ongoing debate as to whether he is the most deserving of the title shot.
Ariel Helwani weighed in on the situation during an episode of The MMA Hour.
“Give it [the next welterweight title shot] to him [Belal Muhammad]. There’s a better story with Belal and Leon than there is with Colby and Leon.”
Belal Muhammad is an equally strong contender for the welterweight title, having not lost in nine bouts. However, his only no-contest was against Leon Edwards, which is why Ariel Helwani believes that Muhammad should be given the chance to face Edwards next. Helwani went as far as to say that Muhammad should be “absolutely pissed off” that the UFC is trying to match him up against Shavkat Rakhmonov in July.
“He [Belal] should be f*cking pissed off right now. He should be absolutely pissed off that they are trying to make him vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov in July”
This is an interesting take from Helwani considering Muhammad has previously accused him of racial bias – since Muhammad is Palestinian and Helwani is Jewish.
While Colby Covington is undoubtedly a skilled guy, he has lost his two title shotsand has only won one over a year ago.
Helwani argues that simply making weight and being available for the event does not automatically guarantee a title shot.
He also poked fun at the rhetoric he was doing this to get into Muhammad’s graces and went on to say that the despite the comments Covington was more likely to come on the MMA hour than Belal.
Leon Edwards made an appearance on the MMA Hour as well. He believes that he should have a say in who he faces next. However, the UFC and Dana White may have other plans, as they seem to think that Covington is the best option for business. It remains to be seen if Covington will, in fact, end up getting the next welterweight title shot.