3 reasons why Colby Covington deserves a UFC welterweight title shot - and 2 reasons why he doesn't
This weekend saw UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards retain his title by defeating former kingpin Kamaru Usman. It looks like his next opponent will be Colby Covington.
According to UFC president Dana White, Colby Covington will take the next shot at welterweight champion Leon Edwards – but does ‘Chaos’ really deserve it? Covington is undoubtedly a great fighter, but whether he warrants a shot at Edwards right now is truly debatable, for a number of reasons.
With that in mind, here are three reasons why Colby Covington deserves a UFC welterweight title shot – and two reasons why he doesn’t.
#3. Colby Covington has only lost to Kamaru Usman in recent years
Many UFC fans may dislike Colby Covington for his outspoken persona, but the fact is that ‘Chaos’ is a truly brilliant fighter inside the octagon. In fact, the former interim welterweight champion has only lost two fights since 2015, and both of those losses came to the same man – Kamaru Usman.
Both bouts saw Covington push ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ all the way, with Usman landing a late TKO in the first fight and just about edging him out on points in the second.
As everyone knows, Usman has since lost to Leon Edwards twice, but should that mean that Covington misses out on a shot at ‘Rocky’?
Arguably not, particularly as Edwards has advocated for Jorge Masvidal to take a shot at the title. ‘Gamebred’ was easily whitewashed by Covington in his last trip to the octagon a year ago.
𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖔𝖘 reigns supreme 💢
[ @ColbyCovMMA | #UFC272 ] https://t.co/wwco2yiGsc
Essentially, Covington’s lack of defeats should mean that he remains near the top of the ladder at welterweight, particularly as the likes of Masvidal and Gilbert Burns have suffered losses in the same time period.
Therefore, with Khamzat Chimaev seemingly moving to 185 pounds, ‘Chaos’ is the best available opponent for Edwards right now.
#2. Colby Covington would provide Leon Edwards with a fascinating stylistic test
The UFC prides itself on attempting to make fights that make sense from a sporting perspective, particularly when it comes to their titles.
However, it’s also fair to say that the promotion has at times put together title bouts that made sense more from a perspective of creating an intriguing stylistic clash. In that sense, it’s hard to deny the idea that Colby Covington would provide Leon Edwards with a truly fascinating test.
After his two wins over Kamaru Usman, it’s fair to suggest that ‘Rocky’ has no glaring weaknesses. The reigning UFC welterweight champion has shown poise and toughness, amazing defensive wrestling, and technically proficient and powerful striking.
Covington, though, brings an entirely different attack to Usman. ‘Chaos’ lives up to his nickname in the octagon, and while he’s been accused of an over-reliance on his wrestling game, the pace he tends to push is unmatched at 170 pounds.
He doesn’t necessarily throw technically perfect strikes, nor does he carry much knockout power, but he’s more than willing to bombard his foes with a seemingly never-ending barrage of combinations.
It was this style that famously allowed him to beat a far superior technical striker – Robbie Lawler – on the feet in 2019.
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Colby Covington with a statement win against Robbie Lawler! 👏
"Don't matter if this is the Trump Train or the Colby Train, get out of the way!"
His post-fight interview almost as good as his performance! 🤣 https://t.co/xsyW4PeK1D
How would Edwards react to this kind of pressure? In all honesty, it’s difficult to tell, as he’s never face someone quite like ‘Chaos’ before.
Essentially, Covington vs. Edwards would be a truly fascinating fight to consider, and so it’d be well worth booking.
#1. Colby Covington’s outspoken persona instantly draws the interest of the fans
Perhaps the biggest reason for giving Colby Covington a shot at UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards is his outspoken persona.
It’s true that ‘Chaos’ seems to be playing a character for the most part – one inspired by both Donald Trump’s MAGA movement and the world of pro-wrestling. It’s also true that this character has turned off some fans who find him at best cringeworthy and at worst highly offensive.
However, it’s fair to say that most fans care about Covington in some way, whether they find him funny in an ironic way, agree with his politics, or outright detest him.
Colby Covington just walked in and this entire place erupted in boos. Nuclear heat. Never heard anything like that.
Essentially, in a sport that sees its fighters live and die by star power, ‘Chaos’ never fails to produce a reaction from the fans. To an extent at least, he’s a genuine drawing card for the UFC.
Does he have a better claim to a title shot than, say, Belal Muhammad, who is riding a lengthy nine-bout unbeaten streak? Or Shavkat Rakhmonov, who has dismantled every foe he’s ever faced off with?
That’s debatable, but it’s fair to say that he’s a far bigger star than both men, and at the end of the day, the UFC is all about drawing money.
A fight between Edward and Covington – a classic babyface vs. heel match – would almost certainly draw money, and so the promotion should lean towards making it.
While there are definitely reasons for giving Colby Covington a welterweight title shot, there are also reasons to go with a different challenger for Leon Edwards. Here are two of them.
#2. Colby Covington has only won two fights since 2019
One of the biggest black marks against handing Colby Covington a UFC welterweight title shot in 2023 is his general lack of activity in recent years.
Sure, ‘Chaos’ has only suffered two defeats since 2015, falling twice to Kamaru Usman, but he hasn’t actually won that many fights, either. Between June 2016 and June 2018, Covington defeated six opponents, culminating in his interim title win against Rafael dos Anjos.
Since then, however, he’s only fought a further five times, losing twice to Usman and defeating Robbie Lawler, Tyron Woodley and Jorge Masvidal.
DOMINANT. 😤
@ColbyCovMMA emphatically settles the score tonight! #UFCVegas11 https://t.co/I2aPpDzCVn
From a name value perspective, those three wins seem great. In hindsight, though, they don’t really hold up.
Both Lawler and Woodley were on major slides at the time of their losses to ‘Chaos’, while Masvidal also seems to be on his way down the ladder.
Covington might be ranked at No.2 in the welterweight division right now, but he only holds one win over another ranked foe, and it’s arguable that Masvidal himself doesn’t belong in the top 15 right now.
When you compare ‘Chaos’ to someone like Belal Muhammad, who has not lost in nine fights, unbeaten contenders like Khamzat Chimaev and Shavkat Rakhmonov, and Gilbert Burns, who holds recent wins over Stephen Thompson and Neil Magny, it becomes ever more difficult to justify giving him a title shot.
Essentially, Covington made the choice to be less active in recent years, and this is one situation that should see him pay the price for that.
#1. The UFC should not reward Colby Covington for his controversial behaviour
The UFC has never really shied away from giving its biggest stars preferential treatment, even if they haven’t looked all that hot in the octagon.
Conor McGregor, for instance, never feels too far away from a title shot, while Nick Diaz’s potential return would still be likely to headline an event despite him having zero wins since 2011.
As one of their more bankable stars right now, then, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to see Dana White and company give Colby Covington a bigger push than some of his peers.
However, whether they ought to do this is highly debatable.
After all, the reason that Covington has become a star is down to his outspoken, controversial persona. Unfortunately, it’s a persona that veers far too close to being downright odious in the eyes of many fans.
Sure, McGregor’s trash talk can be abrasive at times, but ‘The Notorious’ has never veered close to outright racism as ‘Chaos’ did during his lengthy rivalry with Kamaru Usman.
Colby Covington spews blatant racist insults during spat with UFC champ Kamaru Usman bloodyelbow.com/2020/9/20/2144…
To add to this, his support for former President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement now seems in far worse taste than it once did given the political schism in the US right now following the storming of the Capitol in 2021.
It’s true that Covington was able to drum up more interest in his fights thanks to this persona, but it could be seen as questionable that the UFC hand him a title shot because of it.