At the UFC 296 press conference, the situation escalated to the limit.
Things looked close to boiling over at Thursday’s press conference ahead of UFC 296 after Colby Covington directed some controversial trash talk at Leon Edwards.
The reigning welterweight champion will put his gold on the line against “Chaos” in the main event of Saturday’s card at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. As is always the case in a Colby Covington fight week, recent days haven’t been short on talking points.
Heading into the customary pre-PPV press conference, the absence of Ian Garry owing to his recent withdrawal left Colby Covington with one less target to shoot for. But he had plenty in the chamber for the others, including Tony Ferguson and Stephen Thompson.
But it was the words he uttered regarding his upcoming opponent that caused the biggest stir, with Colby Covington receiving heavy criticism for using Edwards’ late father as a means to get at the champion.
Current & Former UFC Fighters React To Colby Covington’s Personal Insult
Immediately after Colby Covington made the comment, a visibly angered Edwards launched a bottle in his direction before rising from his seat. And judging by the social media posts from plenty of former and current UFC fighters on social media, that reaction was justified
Welterweight contender Belal Muhammad, who has had his fair share of back and forth with “Chaos,” was among those to condemn the remarks.