Dana White didn’t hold back in his reaction to Colby Covington’s loss at UFC 296.
UFC President Dana White thinks time wasn’t on Colby Covington’s side in his loss to Leon Edwards at UFC 296.
Colby Covington lost to Leon Edwards by unanimous decision in the UFC 296 headliner on Saturday in Las Vegas. He is now 0-3 in lineal UFC title fights after two previous losses to Kamaru Usman.
Colby Covington appeared hesitant to exchange with Leon Edwards on the feet and ground throughout the 25 minutes of cage time. His usual high-pressure approach wasn’t on full display, which allowed Edwards to dictate how the fight played out.
After Colby Covington wasn’t able to back up his pre-fight trash talk with action, White had a lot to say about Covington’s uncharacteristic showing inside the Octagon.
Dana White Hints ‘Pressure’ Impacted Colby Covington At UFC 296.
At the UFC 296 post-fight press conference, Dana White weighed in on Covington’s uncharacteristic approach against Edwards.
“I think pressure gets to everybody, I’m sure Leon had a ton of pressure,” Dana White said. “All of these guys deal with pressure. Colby’s been in big fights before, this isn’t Colby’s first rodeo, he’s been in big fights and he looked slow and old tonight, in my opinion…
“Waiting is never a good idea in this sport, waiting isn’t good for anybody. He got out-wrestled, looked slow… and Leon looked fast.
Covington recently signed a new multi-fight deal with the UFC ahead of UFC 296. Entering Saturday’s event, he hadn’t fought since a victory over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272 last year.
Colby Covington’s chances at earning a UFC welterweight title are slipping away after his performance against Edwards. He’ll likely need to defeat a slew of top contenders to make a solid argument for a fourth title shot.
At 35 years old, Colby Covington could potentially be on the downfall of his physical prime, and he’ll look to right the ship quickly in 2024.