Leon Edwards: “I was removed from the rating for refusing to fight Chimaev, and Covington got a fight for the title”

Leon Edwards: “I was removed from the rating for refusing to fight Chimaev, and Covington got a fight for the title”

Reigning UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards dismissed Colby Covington’s title shot as absurd after he was named the next contender for the title after the Briton defeated Kamaru Usman in a rematch.

“I definitely have a say so he won’t get a title shot next,” Edwards said on The MMA Hour. “Look at the road I had to travel to get to where I am today. He was beaten up twice by the guy I just beat up twice in a row, then he beat Jorge Masvidal and sat for a year and a half without a case. He didn’t even write anything, he just disappeared for a year, and then suddenly appeared at the weigh-in and got a title shot. It doesn’t make any sense. He has to go out and earn his right to a title shot like I did.”

At the same time, the UFC champion is inclined to believe Khamzat Chimaev, who claims that the American refused to fight him.

“Khamzat Chimaev and I have been challenging each other for years. I was scheduled to fight him three times. I accepted the fight with Chimaev, but Covington refused to fight him and was awarded for it. When I did this, I was removed from the ranking. So, ‘Dan White privileges’ are definitely real.”

“I feel that Covington needs at least one fight. Everyone else is fighting and working hard to get a title shot, so he has to go out and fight one of the guys in the top five and then we’ll see. Now there is no clear contender – they are all in one victory from the fight for the title. So I will sit on my throne and see how things unfold.”

Last weekend at UFC 286 in London, Leon Edwards successfully defended the UFC Welterweight Championship by defeating Kamara Usman by a majority vote, after which UFC President Dana White confirmed the contender status of Colby Covington, who insures the title fight.

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