Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards fended off Kumaru ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ Usman and retained the Welterweight title. With two consecutive losses to Edwards, Usman doesn’t have a shot at the title currently. UFC President Dana White wasted no time in creating a new fight card – Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington. What’s interesting is that this is all set to be a title shot for Covington.

The UFC Universe has contended and showed their disapproval, but White was unfazed by it. Among the ones questioning his decision was distinguished MMA Manager and CEO of Dominance MMA, Ali Abdelaziz, who suggested a fight card of his own for UFC 294 to be held in Abu Dhabi.

Dana White vs. Ali Abdelaziz: Fight card dispute

After UFC President announced Edwards vs. Covington, Abdelaziz tweeted, countering Dana White‘s decision and suggesting a title shot for Belal Muhammad, who he manages. He wrote, “Let’s make @bullyb170 Vs Leon Edwards in Abu Dhabi, makes all the sense to me.”

The two fighters met before at UFC Vegas 21. However, the match ended in a no-contest when Edwards poked Belal in the eye, unintentionally, leaving him unable to continue.

Dana White seems to be headstrong about giving Covington a title shot against Edwards at UFC 294. That being said, there seems to be yet another problem with this fight card.

Edward’s Decision – Does the fighter’s say have sway?

Amidst all this back and forth, with White’s fight card being challenged to an extent by Ali Abdelaziz, UFC Welterweight Champion Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards has made a statement.

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In an interview with the MMA Hour, Edwards said, “I definitely have a say and [Colby Covington] ain’t getting the title shot next fight… [Khamzat Chimaev] is a guy I got matched up with three times in a row. I took the fight and [Covington] didn’t take the fight. He’s getting rewarded for not taking the fight. When it was me, I got removed from the rankings. This Dana White privilege is definitely real.”

It is yet to be seen if this dig at Dana White and his ‘privilege’ would come back to bite the champion or if this will dissuade the UFC president from his current decision. Ali Abdelaziz is currently pushing for his fighter to be given a title shot. If this matchup falls through, there are quite a few welterweight contenders in line, with Belal Muhammad being one of the top picks.

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