‘We Got Next’

It’s official.

Reigning UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards will make his next 170-pound title defense against two-time title challenger Colby Covington atop the UFC 296 pay-per-view (PPV) event, recently announced for Sat., Dec. 16, 2023 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Covington (17-3) was able to score the next crack at “Rocky’s” crown despite coming up short in a pair of previous title fights against then-champion Kamaru Usman. In addition, “Chaos” has not competed since a unanimous decision victory over the now-retired Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272 in March 2022.

No. 3-ranked contender, Belal Muhammad, remains undefeated across his last 10 fights and has more wins over ranked contenders than Covington. Unfortunately for “Remember the Name,” the promotion is giving him the same cold shoulder it gave Edwards back when “Rocky” was on his way up.

Blame “Dana White privilege.”

“We got next,” a patient Muhammad wrote on social media. “Flaws and all, thru scars and all, I’m standin’ tall, I won’t fold.”

The next three welterweight contenders (after Muhammad) are Khamzat Chimaev (No. 4), Gilbert Burns (No. 5), and Shavkat Rakhmonov (No. 6). Chimaev is now competing at middleweight, Burns has already lost to Muhammad, and Rakhmonov hasn’t beaten anyone in the Top 5.

On paper, Muhammad (23-3, 1 NC) appears to be the logical choice to fight the winner of Edwards vs. Covington, unless that bout ends in a draw or the promotion opts for an immediate rematch. We’re unlikely to get answers to any of those questions until early 2024, so like “Remember the Name,” all we can do is wait.