Colby Covington not interested in "charity" fight against Leon Edwards

Leon Edwards vs. Khamzat Chimev was cancelled for a third time last week due to Chimaev’s ongoing respiratory issues from having contracted COVID-19 late last year. UFC Dana White has finally moved on from that matchup, instead showing interest in booking a fight between Edwards and Colby Covington as a title eliminator.

Covington, however, has other ideas. The former title challenger wants either a rematch against current welterweight champion Kamaru Usman (whom he lost to via 5th round TKO at UFC 245 in December 2019) or a grudge match against his former teammate and friend Jorge Masvidal.

“This isn’t charity hour, man. I’m fighting at the top of the mountain. I’m fighting the best in the world,” said Covington.

This is while Usman, after defeating Gilbert Burns to defend his title at UFC 258, is seeking instead to fight Jorge Masvidal. This raised eyebrows, as Usman defeated Masvidal at UFC 251 last July in an uneventful unanimous decision.

While Covington is perhaps the toughest matchup for Usman in the welterweight division, neither fighter is a needle mover in terms of PPV sales, which could explain Usman’s desire to fight Masvidal. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see what direction this division will go as Usman continues his dominant reign.