Colby Covington accuses Leon Edwards of being a dirty fighter.
Covington (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) challenges welterweight champion Edwards (21-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) in the UFC 296 main event on Dec. 16 in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
He called Edwards a cheater, referring to his accidental eye poke on Belal Muhammad which caused their March 2021 headliner to end in a no contest.
“As a fighter, Leon Scott is the biggest cheater the sport’s ever known,” Covington said in an interview with All Out Fighting. “I thought ‘Marty’ (Usman) was a cheater. Man, this guy makes ‘Marty’ look like a freakin’ saint. Leon is a cheater.
“He’s poking people in the eyes, kicking people in the nuts, he’s grabbing the fence. I mean, the guy’s the biggest cheater the sport’s ever seen and that’s the only way I was able to prepare for him. Just prepare for all the cheating he’s going to do.”
Edwards has remained mum for the majority of the build-up to his fight with Covington. “Chaos” was asked to analyze Edwards as a fighter and a person – and as expected, he didn’t mince his words.
“As a person, ‘Leon Scott,’ AKA ‘Low IQ Leon,’ what’s his grade level? What’s his level of education?” Covington asked. “I swear, that guy’s a mumbling, fumbling idiot. He’s literally always drooling on himself. As a person, I just think that that guy’s a waste of f*cking chromosomes and a waste of space.
“Honestly, I’d love to know, can someone tell me – some journalist, this is all I want from this journalists out there, please dive into Leon Scott’s IQ. Like, what is his level of education? Did he graduate middle school? Did he even get through elementary school? Because the guy’s dumber than a box of rocks.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.
Colby Covington ahead of UFC 296: Leon Edwards ‘the biggest cheater the sport’s ever known’