"As an American champion in this game, I salute you" - When Jon Jones rained praises on Leon Edwards following his win over Colby Covington
At UFC 296, Leon Edwards successfully defended his welterweight strap for a second time by beating Colby Covington via decision.
During the pre-fight presser, Covington made remarks regarding Edwards' deceased father. He said:
"On Saturday night, I’m going to bring you to a place you never want to be. I’m going to bring you to the seventh level of hell. We’ll say what’s up to your dad while we’re there.”
After hearing the above remark, 'Rocky' was furious and tossed a bottle at 'Chaos'. He even jumped off his seat in retaliation, but security intervened. With Covington's words, the fight turned personal for Edwards, who made it a point to dominate his opponent and win the fight on the pay-per-view night.
After the fight, heavyweight champion Jon Jones tweeted his congratulations to the champion and offered him a motorcycle for Christmas.
Jones wrote:
"Leon Edwards , I couldn’t be more happy for you. As an American champion in this game, I salute you, that was truly a job well done. Let me know if I can gift you a motorcycle or something for Christmas. Feel like I owe you one🙂"
Jon Jones's tweet after Leon Edwards beat Colby Covington:
The Englishman responded that, while he does not ride motorcycles, he could accept a Rolex as a gift.
Colby Covington critiques Jon Jones's legacy
Jon Jones and Colby Covington were roommates in college. Despite this, there is no friendship and a lot of hatred. In a podcast with The Rush With Maxx Crosby, Covington criticized Jones and said:
"He is just not the same. He looks so fat and out of shape…He did good for himself. He made some money. He has a good legacy. I think the legacy is filled with just, you know, corruption...scamming and lies and deceit…I am a man with truth… his character is not very good …”
When asked if he considers 'Bones' as the greatest of all time, 'Chaos' commented and said that the heavyweight has "too many inconsistencies."
Hear Colby Covington's statement in the video attached below: