Colby Covington’s coach has revealed that UFC president Dana White verbally confirmed that ‘Chaos’ will face Leon Edwards next.
Daniel Valverde, head coach at MMA Masters where Covington trains, was recently interviewed by Alvaro Colmenero. Valverde stated that White had phoned Covington to confirm his next fight would be for the welterweight title.
“Dana White already said yes, he called Colby and he said yes, I don’t think Dana or UFC are going to lie like that, I think the fight is going to happen, we are already training for Leon.”
Watch the video below:
Dana White announced that Colby Covington would face Edwards next following the Brit’s victory over Kamaru Usman at UFC 286 several weeks ago. The announcement was met with uproar from fans, with many believing that ‘Chaos’ was undeserving of the title shot due to his inactivity.
Covington last faced Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272 in March 2022, and holds a 3-2 in record in his last five bouts. His two defeats came at the hands of then-champion Kamaru Usman, but many believe that Belal Muhammad deserves the next title shot.
‘Remember The Name’ is currently on a 9-fight unbeaten streak. He put on arguably the performance of his career against Sean Brady at UFC 280 last time out, winning via TKO in round 2.
Edwards has stated that he will refuse to fight Covington, and fans have yet to see how UFC president Dana White will navigate the champion’s stubbornness.
Colby Covington analyzes Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman at UFC 286
Colby Covington appeared as the back-up fighter for the UFC 286 main event between Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman. ‘Chaos’ did not need to step in to replace either man, and instead sat front-row to watch the action unfold.
He stated that ‘Rocky’ displayed ‘nothing special’ in his unanimous decision victory over Usman. ‘Chaos’ also believes that Usman has begun to slow down, and is not the same fighter that he used to be.
Colby Covington recently spoke to UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping, and said this about UFC 286:
“[Leon] got the job done, it wasn’t anything impressive. He didn’t seperate himself [from the pack], he didn’t look like he was a world beater. A lot of the fans didn’t know who won, it was a close fight. What I did see from Usman is that it’s not the same Usman I fought. [Kamaru] was a completely different fighter when I fought him a couple of years ago. He just looks like the hunger is gone…”
Watch the video below from 1:15: