Colby Covington bizarrely blames Donald Trump for losing the third title fight in a row
Colby Covington's loss to Leon Edwards marked his third failed attempt at an undisputed title, and 'Chaos' believes the defeat was influenced by his association with former president Donald Trump.
The 35-year-old maintains a close relationship with the controversial politician and is known to be one of Trump's favorite UFC fighters.
While Trump was received with thunderous applause at UFC 296, Covington believes that unlike him and most of the promotion's top brass, not everyone is a fan of the business tycoon.
During the UFC 296 post-fight press conference, Covington voiced an outrageous reason behind his loss, arguing that the judges went against him in the contest because of his relationship with the former president:
"I thought I had the win, I thought I did enough, but the judges never favor me, they hate me because I support Trump, and everybody hates Trump in this building, so it is what it is. Life goes on."
Catch Colby Covington's comments below (6:58):
With his third title fight loss, it is unlikely that Covington will see another crack at the belt any time soon. He notably lost his first two undisputed title fights to Kamaru Usman, one via fifth-round TKO and the other by unanimous decision, and wasn't very competitive with Leon Edwards at UFC 296.
Leon Edwards says Colby Covington is a "dirty human being"
UFC 296 fight week was a tough one for Leon Edwards. After a turbulent pre-fight presser that saw 'Chaos' make distasteful remarks about his late father, 'Rocky' was emotionally charged heading into the fight.
During his octagon interview with Joe Rogan after the win, the welterweight champion opened up about his dislike for his opponent by saying:
"He is a good guy, you know. He competed hard against Kamaru Usman, someone I beat twice. So he is a great competitor, but just a dirty human being."
Catch Leon Edwards' comments about Colby Covington below (2:49):
Leon Edwards is 21-3 in his professional MMA career. He is currently on a 13-fight unbeaten streak, with wins over the likes of Kamaru Usman, Nate Diaz, and Vicente Luque.
'Rocky' now has two title defenses under his belt and has no shortage of contenders for 2024. Many believe either Shavkat Rakhmonov or Belal Muhammad will be Edwards' next opponent.