Colby Covington recently admitted to suffering a significant injury during his fight against Leon Edwards at UFC 296. In the welterweight title bout held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Covington was unable to win the championship, despite a valiant effort. Edwards demonstrated exceptional control throughout the match, employing precise kicks to Covington’s legs and body, which led to a unanimous decision by all three judges in favor of “Rocky.”
Covington appeared on the PBD Podcast with Patrick Bet-David and stated that he believes he should have won the contest. He pointed out that he didn’t sustain any visible scratches and doubled the number of strikes compared to Edwards while maintaining control for five minutes of the clash. He went on to reveal that he had sustained a broken foot in the first 30 seconds of the fight, which was not widely known.
The former interim welterweight champion explained that limiting his mobility was due to the injury. After breaking his foot, he was unable to move easily and was primarily focused on completing the fight. Colby Covington’s post-fight analysis can be seen in the podcast (2:54).
Notably, Covington’s conduct leading up to UFC 296 met with harsh criticism from renowned MMA coach Ray Longo. During an appearance on the Anik & Florian Podcast, Longo slammed Covington for the despicable remarks he made about Edwards’ late father at the pre-fight press conference. Longo contended that these controversial comments significantly crossed the line and were not appropriate for promoting a fight.
Longo expressed his disdain for Covington’s tactics, likening his behavior to a “leech on society.” Longo also had strong words for Covington’s performance in the fight itself, calling it a “shoddy” contest. The MMA community remains divided on this matter, with some supporting Covington’s attempt at generating hype for the bout, while others firmly disapprove of his behavior.
