Colby ‘Covington says that he has been left confused after his embarrassing loss to Leon Edwards at UFC 296. The fight has left many questioning Colby’s ability as a fighter and it appears that Covington may be questioning things of his own
While many were disappointed with the final product of UFC 296’s main event, Leon Edwards certainly ended the year strong. Covington on the other hand has ended the year with one fight and one devastating loss. Edwards hasn’t lost a fight since 2015 which was at the hands of Kamaru Usman. Colby Covington has lost three out of his last five fights and his last win was against an aging Jorge Masvidal in the March of 2022. Covington has put his reputation on the line as the fight against Leon Edwards as his usual high pressure and fast fighting style was no where to be seen.
It seems that Colby Covington has recognised this and even mentioned it in his post fight conference:
“It just took me a little bit to get going. My timing was not there early on. Leon was switching a lot to orthodox. I didn’t expect that as much as he was in orthodox. So it kind of switched up my gameplan. I was preparing to take him down on that right leg and he kept putting the left leg in the lead. I was kind of confused. So, it was more just a timing issue.’
Quotes via bjpenn.com
Colby Covington firmly believes that he won the fight. He even went so far as claiming that the judges were ‘anti Donald Trump’ who he is an avid and open supporter. I think that most can agree that is ridiculous.
What Is Next for Colby Covington?
After his rather lathargeic performance at UFC 296, many have been left questioning what is next for Colby Covington. However, Colby believes that his time near the top is no where near finished. Not only is he eyeing up a fourth title shot, he has already shooting for his next fight in his post fight conference. Of course it is not one of the high value welterweight fighters like Usman, who isn’t booked yet and would make a nice trilogy fight, or Sean Brady, who also isn’t booked and is one strong prospect for the welterweight division.
No, Covington called out Stephen Thompson. An exciting fighter, but a forty year old man. Thompson also lost at UFC 296 against Shavkat Rakhmonov. Both fighters are now sitting on a loss and are both getting old. On paper, it seems like a reasonable fight. However, Colby Covington is not only five years younger but is a stylistic nightmare for Stephen Thompson.
It doesn’t matter what Coby Covington does next. What is important is that Colby has now lost three undisputed title fights. Dana White is surely going to be paying attention to that fact. Is Colby Covington nearing the end of his career? Let us know in the comments below!
