Ali Abdelaziz alleges Colby Covington was paid measly amount to serve as backup fighter for UFC 286 main event

MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz took shots at Colby Covington, suggesting that 'Chaos' accepted being a back-up fighter for Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman to avoid Belal Muhammad.

The Dominance MMA CEO put out a tweet criticizing Covington for not fighting his client, Muhammad, and instead serving as a back-up fighter for a measly amount:

"You could [have] fought Belal today, but you choose to make weight and [not] fight and make $25,000 - Zero [confidence in] your skills"

You could fought Belal today, but you choose to make weight and don’t fight and make 25,000 zero confident and your skills twitter.com/colbycovmma/st…

Ali Abdelaziz manages fighters like Kamaru Usman and Justin Gaethje, who are competing in the main and co-main event, respectively, at UFC 286.

Colby Covington last fought in March 2022 against his friend-turned-bitter rival Jorge Masvidal. 'Chaos' overwhelmed 'Gamebred' with his superior grappling and won a unanimous decision on the judges' scorecards.

The fight, however, wasn't over for Jorge Masvidal, who decided to deliver some street justice to Covington by jumping him outside a Miami Beach steakhouse. Masvidal was charged with aggravated battery and one count of criminal mischief along with being issued a stay-away warrant from Covington.

Jorge Masvidal in the post fight press conference:

“If I could have done it all over again, I would have gone to college, gotten my grades up and wrestled my ass off”

Colby Covington has Masvidal rethinking his whole existence💀

#UFC272 https://t.co/GIy7ZpiwIc

We've seen Colby Covington twice against Kamaru Usman, but how would he fare against Leon Edwards?

Colby Covington has shown that he is one of the grittiest fighters in the UFC. He grinds his opponents out with his superior grappling and a seemingly endless gas tank.

If Covington faces off against Leon Edwards, there is a good chance he could grind out a victory. However, Edwards is a crafty striker with underrated grappling skills. 'Rocky' has beaten grappling experts like Vicente Luque, Gunnar Nelson, Rafael dos Anjos, Nate Diaz, and Kamaru Usman.

Check out some highlights of Edwards' win over Usman:

Leon Edwards surprised everyone at UFC 278 by taking Kamaru Usman down in the first round of their rematch. It's safe to assume that 'Rocky' won't be overwhelmed by Covington's wrestling abilities.

'Chaos' will have to be wary of Edwards' sniper-like reflexes and use his relentless pressure, as well as his striking, to set up takedowns.

Both fighters have the ability to pull off a victory if they play to their strengths. Colby Covington has the ability to put relentless pressure on his opponents and smother them with strikes to set up takedowns. Furthermore, 'Chaos' has also been in more five-round fights than 'Rocky'.

However, Edwards has fought four five-round fights in his career. 'Rocky' bested Nate Diaz – who is known for his gas tank – over five rounds at UFC 263.