Colby Covington gets his third crack at gold as we head into UFC 296 this weekend in Las Vegas. Will third time be the charm for ‘Chaos’?
Is Colby Covington Deserving?
There was somewhat of an uproar when Colby Covington was announced as the next contender for the title and rightfully so. Nobody was more vocal than the man that missed out on the title shot. That man will now serve as the backup fighter for this weekends main event. That man is Belal Muhammad.
Belal is not a fan favorite. He admittedly doesn’t have the most fan-friendly style but there was a mutual feeling among most MMA fans that he had earned his shot. Since losing to Geoff Neal back in January of 2019, Belal is undefeated in ten fights. Nine wins and a no contest from an eye-poke against now champion Leon Edwards. A run which should have been enough to earn the title shot. Since the Edwards eye-poke, Belal has beaten Damian Maia, Stephen Thompson, Vincente Luque, Sean Brady and Gilbert Burns.
For clarity, as we look at the rankings right now, to-date, Belal has beaten the #9 (Luque), #7 (Brady), #6 (Thompson) & #4 Gilbert Burns.
Colby Covington – The Resume
Now, compare that to Colby Covington. Colby has two wins and two defeats in his last four fights. A loss to Kamaru Usman for the title was followed by a victory over the now retired Tyron Woodley. That result, somehow earned him another crack at the title. One which he blundered once more to Kamaru Usman. The last time we saw Colby fight was in March of 2022, almost two years ago, in a grudge match against Jorge Masvidal, who has now also retired.
Prior to this loss, win, loss, win run, Colby defeated Robbie Lawler. Who yes, that’s right, you guessed it, is now retired. But I will give Colby some credit. He did beat former lightweight Rafael Dos Anjos, (now 39 years old) and Damian Maia (46 years old) prior to that.
The problem with Colby Covington is this. He hasn’t really beaten anybody of note. Sure, some of the names look great on the resume but these were not guys that were in their prime. These were older men, passed their best. In fact, the only man who was in his prime when he fought Covington, beat him twice.
Credit Where Credit Is Due
In all seriousness, Colby did have two incredibly close fights with Kamaru Usman. Usman, at the time was dominating the welterweight the division. Those performances along with Colby’s understanding of how to sell a fight and stay relevant, are ultimately what led to this fight being made.
The champion, Leon Edwards does not believe that Colby deserves the fight. Nor do many of the other welterweights. Yet, this is a lesson that some still need to learn. Colby Covington does not have a winning run. He does not have standout wins. He does not possess a fan friendly style and yet, he does have a third title shot.
Colby understands this game. It is the ‘Chaos’ that has put him in this very fortunate position. For that, you have to take your hat off. In addition, Colby is a very talented fighter. He has tremendous wrestling, an insane cardio, a great chin and he can throw hands too. He is a very well rounded athlete and I truly do believe that he is one of the best in the division. The problem is, there’s no proof of that. He hasn’t faced anybody other than the former champion that currently sits in the rankings.
Can Colby Unleash ‘Chaos’ on Leon Edwards
Fight week is absolutely going to be a fun one. We have so many charismatic fighters with a microphone this week that feuds are sure to boil over at some point and I can categorically assure you that Colby Covington will be right in the middle of it.
Colby will try to draw Leon into a mental battle. Colby will likely bring up the issues Leon has had with Ian Garry. He is likely to try to upset the applecart for sure. Will it work? For me, no.
I am happy to put my balls on the line here and claim that Leon Edwards will win this fight. Leon has great takedown defense and is more than capable of getting back to the feet if he is taken down. Leon is more dynamic, he is quicker, hits harder and has a wider variety of attacks that Colby will just not see coming.
For Colby to win this fight, he has to be relentless, he has to pressure non-stop. He needs to make the fight ugly and get right in Leon’s face. He cannot allow this fight to take place at a comfortable distance or else Leon Edwards will pick him off for fun.
What I will say is this. It’s going to be fun. We have an incredible card with some insane matchups to see out 2023. Lets just hope that the card delivers and that the closing fight of the year, gives us the fireworks that we are all hoping for.
Featured image credited to Embed from Getty Images
