Colby Covington will be taking on welterweight champion, Leon Edwards, in their highly anticipated match at UFC 296. ‘Chaos’ has been out of competition since his victory against former teammate and training partner, Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272. The bout was marked by the intense feud between the two which led to the pair engaging in an altercation outside the Octagon. Covington allegedly suffered head trauma and a broken tooth in the incident leading to his extended hiatus from the cage.

Covington is no stranger to the UFC gold as he once held the Interim welterweight title. However, he lost the title outside of the Octagon as he was stripped of it by the UFC. Ahead of his clash against ‘Rocky’, let’s explore what led to the loss of his interim title!

Colby Covington lost his interim title without losing a fight 

Colby Covington secured the UFC interim welterweight title in a hard-fought contest against UFC veteran, Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC 225. He was then set to face the undisputed champion, Tyron Woodley, at UFC 228. However, the bout failed to materialize and Darren Till was allowed to challenge Woodley for the title instead.

Covington later revealed that he was stripped of the title due to medical complications. He stated that he had undergone nasal surgery when he got offered the title shot against Woodley. In an interview with MMAFighting, Covington claimed that there were also other reasons behind him getting stripped of the belt.

He stated, “This is corruption, and it needs to stop”. Covington then faced Robbie Lawler in 2019, which then set up his first attempt at the undisputed title against Kamaru Usman. UFC CEO Dana White later revealed in an interview with MMAJunkie after UFC 240, “He stepped up and took the Lawler fight. He’ll get [the title fight].”

‘Chaos’ then put in an impressive performance against Usman at UFC 245 in his first attempt at the title. But came up short as he lost the fight via stoppage in the 5th round. His 2nd attempt at the belt against Usman came at UFC 268 in 2021 and this time Covington lost via a unanimous decision.

As he gears up to make another run at the title, with a different champion in his crosshairs, Covington recently revealed that he doesn’t believe he lost the second Usman fight!

Covington slams Jorge Masvidal and decision loss against Kamaru Usman

In a recent interview with ESPN MMA, Covington revealed his take on his loss against Kamaru Usman and also slammed Jorge Masvidal for being an “easy” fight. The legal battle that followed Masvidal’s assault on Covington outside a Miami Steakhouse concluded recently. As such, ‘Chaos’ gave his assessment of Masvidal’s performance and their relationship.

He stated, “It was an easy fight, five rounds of domination, 50-43 and a soda,” referencing Masvidal’s quote. Covington also dismissed the judges’ decision in his loss against Usman at UFC 268, emphasizing the fans’ opinion matters more to him. 

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‘Chaos’ revealed, “Those aren’t the people that are gonna determine my value, my worth on this planet. The fans are impressed by my work, that’s all that matters to me. I feel like I am the champion.”

Covington’s return to the octagon at UFC 296, facing Leon Edwards for the Welterweight title, marks his third attempt at securing UFC gold. And fans will be rooting for their favorite fighter as he gets ready to etch his name into UFC history! 

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