At UFC 286, Leon Edwards was able to retain his welterweight championship against his rival Kamaru Usman in their last and final installment. The chatter after UFC 286 was all said and done was who is next in line to fight for the welterweight championship. Dana White was able to quickly end all the speculation and say that Colby Covington would be next in line for a title shot. Not many were happy with that decision, especially the champ Leon Edwards.
“I think there's a storyline for (the Masvidal) fight,” Edwards said, per TSN's Aaron Bronsteter. For the Colby fight there's literally no storylines. He sat out for a year and then slid into a title shot, it's weird.”
Covington hasn't fought since his March 2022 win over Jorge Masvidal, and he has fought just twice over the last two years. He has only two wins in his last four fights, and both of his losses came against the former champion Kamaru Usman.
Seeing that Covington hasn't been active and doesn't have a win against a top-10 opponent, most don't believe he should be rewarded with a title shot. He claims that since he is a professional, unlike the other fighters in his division, that's why he is getting the next title shot.
Leon Edwards turns down fight against Colby Covington
Leon Edwards seems adamant that Colby Covington doesn't deserve a title shot against him. He believes Covington is getting rewarded for not taking fights and that the “Dana White privilege is definitely real.”
“(Colby Covington is) getting rewarded for not taking fights,” Edwards said on The MMA Hour, per Spinnin Backfist. “When it was me, I got removed from the rankings. So this Dana White privilege is definitely real.”
Even though Covington is the current top-ranked contender in the welterweight division, it is kind of hard to not agree with Edwards' sentiment here. Covington has had his chance to fight some of the up-and-coming title contenders in the division, but instead was content on waiting it out.
This could have been solely based on design and behind-the-scenes maneuvering with the UFC brass, which most are speculating. If there is one that that Colby Covington is, he is a smart businessman and isn't one to take unnecessary risks.
If not Colby Covington, what's next for Leon Edwards?
Now that Leon Edwards has come out to say that he will not sign a bout agreement if presented with one against Colby Covington, the next question is who will he face next? With Usman out of the picture and Edwards not wanting to face Covington, there are a plethora of matchups that can be thrown Edwards' way if they move on from Covington for the time being.
Belal Muhammad
This is the most logical choice out of the bunch. Muhammad is riding an eight-fight winning streak, winning 12 of his last 13 fights, with his last loss coming back in 2019. He also has beaten more top-ranked opposition in his last three fights than Edwards has in his entire UFC career.
Shavkat Rakhmonov
This is the worst matchup of them all for Leon Edwards. Rakhmonov looked like a title contender the moment he stepped foot inside the Octagon. He is still undefeated at 17-0 and has finished all five of his UFC opponents, making him a scary opposition and one that Edwards surely doesn't want right now.
Gilbert Burns
This may be one of the matchups that is least likely to happen just based on his body of work since his loss to Usman for the title. If he were to finish Jorge Masvidal in dramatic fashion that would put him at 3-1 post-Usman. Depending on if they really want to make Muhammad vs. Rakhmonov happen, Burns could be a tune-up before giving Edwards the winner of that.
Jorge Masvidal
Talk about not deserving a title shot. Masvidal is 0-3 in his last three fights, losing twice to Usman and just recently losing to Covington. Even with the losses, Masvidal can still throw his name into the mix with a dominant performance against Burns. The reason for that is because of the bad blood that these two still currently have since the “three-piece and a soda” incident, so this fight would absolutely sell.
It will be interesting to see what Dana White and UFC decidee to do in this situation. Leon Edwards has already stated that he wants to get back in there in late summer, so we should hear something announced soon for the welterweight champ.
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