Colby Covington knew which "small problem" would cost him Leon Edwards fight before walking out, claims Chael Sonnen
Chael Sonnen recently shared his thoughts on the Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington fight at UFC 296 last weekend. 'The American Gangster' claimed that 'Chaos' knew about the problem that could cost him the fight and lauded his courage for competing anyway.
Covington challenged Edwards for the welterweight title last weekend in the main event of UFC 296 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The Englishman comfortably dominated Covington over five rounds and even secured a takedown against the American wrestling maestro. 'Rocky' ultimately secured his second title defense via unanimous decision.
The Edwards fight was Covington's first bout in nearly two years, and it showed. In the aftermath, he admitted that his extended hiatus and subsequent ring rust affected his performance.
In a recent video uploaded to YouTube, Chael Sonnen opined that Colby Covington knew his speed and reflexes weren't the same as they used to be heading into the fight. Sonnen believes 'Chaos' was aware these factors could negatively affect his performance and said:
"No matter how much you're in the gym sparring, you don't have the same speed... And that is what leads to the idea of ring rust... He knew, walking to that cage, 'I have a small problem on my hands. So, I'm going to have to be good enough and fight well enough to overcome this small problem. Which is my eyes and my reaction aren't going to be perfect.' That's called bravery."
Catch Chael Sonnen's comments below (3:51):
Chael Sonnen has doubts about Colby Covington fighting again after UFC 296 title loss
Chael Sonnen isn't sure MMA fans will see Colby Covington in action again. The former UFC star recently reflected upon the Edwards-Covington bout at UFC 296 and questioned if the American wrestling savant has what it takes to climb the welterweight division's ladder anymore.
At the UFC 296 post-fight show, Sonnen spoke to Jon Anik and Dominic Cruz about Covington's future. He said:
"Colby’s career is a riddle... He’s had three world title fights, he was an interim champion, he never lost, he woke up one day, he wasn’t the interim champion. He fought the reigning ‘BMF’ champion, dominated him, and never became ‘BMF’ champion."
Sonnen continued:
"I think that there are some real frustrations. I just don’t know if he wants to start over. That’s the hard truth. I don’t know that we see Colby Covington again."
Catch Chael Sonnen's comments below (1:30):
Despite his lackluster performance, Colby Covington is intent on continuing to fight. 'Chaos' downplayed suggestions to fight Shavkat Rakhmonov and called out Stephen Thompson for his next outing.