Exclusive: Colby Covington aiming for Leon Edwards knockout, wants to ‘create own destiny’ at UFC 296
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Published 14/12/2023 at 14:00 GMT
Colby Covington is eager to make up for lost time when he fights Leon Edwards in the main event at UFC 296 for the welterweight title. Covington's last fight was back in March 2022 against Jorge Masvidal, and he now wants to win a UFC title at the third time of asking following two previous defeats against Kamaru Usman. He also delivered some harsh words for Edwards, accusing the Brit of cheating.
'This is destiny' - Covington on lifelong journey leading to UFC 296 bout with Edwards
Colby Covington wants to take the decision out of the judges’ hands when he takes on Leon Edwards in the main event at UFC 296.
The American is still aggrieved by his two defeats against Kamaru Usman in the 35-year-old’s last two welterweight title shots.
“You can't leave it in the judge's or referee's decision,” he told TNT Sports.
“In the first fight I think I got screwed by the referee. He made some bad calls, gave multiple fouls that shouldn't have been fouls.
“Now I've matured a lot from those losses and I don't feel like they were losses, especially the one in Madison Square Garden - the second fight with Usman.
“I felt I beat him. I thought I had that fight and hopefully we can settle that trilogy somewhere down the line.
“I feel like I need to go to a different level that I haven't been to before and can't let the judge or referee be in control of my own destiny. I need to create my own destiny.”
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Edwards aims to ‘make statement’ against ‘weird guy’ Covington at UFC 296
Covington is also aware of the perceived antics by Edwards inside the octagon, and believes the Brit will do anything to gain an edge on the night.
“I would say the biggest challenge is the cheating he does in the octagon,” he added.
“If you watched the last fight he did against Usman in the UK, he had seven or eight fouls. There was a compilation on Twitter the other day, of him poking his eyes, grabbing the fence, and grabbing his gloves multiple times.
“These are facts, he's always looking for ways to bend the rules and cheat a little bit, so that's my biggest concern. I've prepared for it accordingly, and I hope I see the best version of Leon on Saturday night.”
This will be Covington's first bout since defeating Jorge Masvidal in March 2022, and laid the blame on other fighters for not willing to test their mettle against the American.
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Dana White on Edwards v Covington, Aspinall and McGregor return
“Everybody has been turning down fights with me; the UFC wouldn't have put me in this position for an undisputed title if I was turning down fights and hard to work with,” he explained.
“I agreed to fight Khamazat Chimaev. They were trying to set up that fight for six to eight months.
“He didn't want to fight; he was scared to fight. They gave him the easiest fight in the division, a washed-out Nate Diaz, who was 40 years old.
“He had to beat that guy and set up a fight with Colby. He couldn't do it; he missed the weight by 10 pounds and was unprofessional.
“He's to blame for me sitting out for so long, but I agreed to every single fight and never turned down one fight in UFC history. I work every single day and have got so much better.
“I feel like I've been robbed for two years of my prime, I was ready to fight a month after I beat George. I gave him the 50-41 it was the easiest fight of my career and I was ready to fight again straight away.
“I wanted the biggest and best fights, and I wanted to do the best business for this company. But those guys turned me down so here we are with Leon for the undisputed title.”
What time does Edwards v Covington start?
The broadcast of the preliminary card will be available for TNT Sports subscribers to watch on TNT Sports 1 and discovery+ from 01:00. The main card will start from 03:00 and will be available exclusively on TNT Sports Box Office.
How to watch Edwards v Covington in the UK on TV
UFC 296: Edwards vs. Covington costs £19.99 in the UK and can be watched through EE TV, Virgin Media TV and Sky, online via the web or the TNT Sports Box Office App. You do not need to be a TNT Sports subscriber to buy this event.
- Sky customers can purchase TNT Sports Box Office on channel 490 via their remote control or via https://www.sky.com/boxoffice/tnt-sports
- Customers in the Republic of Ireland can purchase TNT Sports Box Office via Sky at https://www.sky.com/boxoffice/tnt-sports - €29.99 or €34.99 (on the day)
- Virgin Media TV customers in the UK: customers with a TiVo and/or V6 set-top-box should visit the On-Demand section and choose Live Events; customers with a Virgin TV 360 and/or Stream set-top-box should go to the Pay Per View rail
- EE TV customers can go to channel 494 and pay using their remote control.
- Viewers wanting to watch the fight online should visit www.tntsports.co.uk/boxoffice and follow instructions to subscribe and watch on the web or on the TNT Sports Box Office App, customers can choose to watch on the big screen using Google Chromecast and Apple Airplay.
- EE, Three, Vodafone and O2 customers watching online or via the TNT Sports Box Office App can choose to add the payment to their mobile bill.
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