Colby Covington’s last win came over 18 months ago against a fighter that is now retired.
After defending his title against Kamaru Usman in a highly anticipated rematch earlier this year, fans were excited to see what would be next for Leon Edwards.
Many were surprised to find out that the UFC were already set in stone that Colby Covington would be the next in line for a shot at the welterweight belt.
Colby Covington has been inactive since UFC 272 in March 2022, when he defeated Jorge Masvidal via unanimous decision.
No one was under any kind of delusion about the plans at 170 pounds when Dana White made it clear that Edwards vs. Covington would be the next fight.
“Chaos” undoubtedly generates more interest than some of the other top welterweight contenders, and that has been a key factor, it would seem, in landing him headlining status at UFC 296.
Famous former mixed martial arts referee John McCarthy has explained why he believes UFC welterweight champion Briton Leon Edwards is the favourite to fight American Colby Covington.
McCarthy: Colby Covington Can’t Match-Up With Leon Edwards When It Comes To Their Records
On a recent episode of the Weighing In podcast, “Big” John McCarthy gave his take on the main event of UFC 296.
The Bellator commentator was happy to admit that when it comes to grabbing people’s attention and making them tune in, Colby Covington is a great asset to have as a promoter.
That being said, he doesn’t believe that “Chaos” matches-up on paper when you look at his recent activity compared to both Edwards and the other top welterweights.
McCarthy pointed to a stat that has been used a lot in the build-up to this fight, which shows that Covington holds no wins over any of the current top 15 at 170 pounds.
“I take a look and I’ve got Colby Covington in his last five fights, he’s got two losses. I look at Leon Edwards, how many losses does he have in his last how many? He’s got one draw and that’s against Belal for the eye poke and so, all those wins. I can look at Leon Edwards and look at all those people, and he’s got people that are older no doubt about it.
“He’s fought some of the same people that Colby has but, he’s come away with wins against those people and I just look and go, Colby is in this position where he’s done a great job of using his personality to create this persona that makes people either love him or hate him. Okay, great but truthfully inside the cage there’s not one person that’s in the top 15 right now that he’s beaten.”
