"How can you say that?” - Eddie Hearn hopes Leon Edwards smashes Colby Covington to pieces after bringing up his dad at press conference
Colby Covington has not done himself any favors with fight fans following his comments about Leon Edwards' late father at the UFC 296 press conference.
'Chaos' is known for his bold trash-talk, but his recent remarks were certainly a level above anything he has previously said.
The American's comments were met with anger from fans across the world, who blasted the title challenger online.
Leading boxing promoter, and chairman of Matchroom Boxing, Eddie Hearn, has now shared his thoughts on Colby Covington's antics. Hearn sent his support to fellow countryman, Leon Edwards, and said this:
"Just nasty, wrong, but I don't know anything about the UFC. I've met Leon a couple of times, lovely fella. I hope he smashes that geezer to pieces. It's tomorrow night, right? Like, how can you say that? I know you can get carried away but you've got to have some kind of compassion. Horrible thing to say, but anyway, it's the fight game innit?"
Watch the video below from 5:35:
Leon Edwards has opened up about his childhood on several occasions in the past, including his father's criminal background as well as his passing.
Colby Covington previews UFC 296 clash with "one-dimensional" Leon Edwards
Colby Covington is preparing to compete for the welterweight title for a third time, and will face Leon Edwards in the main event of UFC 296 this weekend.
Covington's previous two title fights both came against Kamaru Usman, who defeated 'Chaos' via TKO at UFC 245 and via unanimous decision at UFC 268.
His bouts with 'The Nigerian Nightmare' were both immensely competitive, with their respective grappling pedigrees canceling each other out, leading to a striking battle.
But Colby Covington predicts a dominant performance against a more "one-dimensional" fighter in Leon Edwards. The American was recently interviewed by ESPN MMA, where he previewed the epic UFC 296 main event, saying this:
"I think [Edwards] is one-dimensional, all he can do is kickbox. I'm a well-rounded fighter, I can kickbox with him, I can wrestle with him, I can do jiu-jitsu with him. I can do a lot of things he can't do. I know he can't keep my pace for five rounds. I've seen the quitter in him. So tomorrow night I'm gonna bring out the dog in me and the quitter in Leon."
Watch the video below from 1:25: