Colby Covington weighs in UC 286 (MMA Crazy)
Colby Covington weighs in as the backup fighter for Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman at UFC 286
Fans are waiting with bated breath for what may be a spectacular main event at UFC 286 between Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman. When the stakes are this high, the UFC usually has a backup fighter on hand to respect the fans’ commitment. Yet, the MMA community was unclear about who would be Edwards vs. Usman’s backup opponent.
After the weigh-ins, all those doubts were put to rest as backup fighter Colby Covington walked onto the scale. Fight fans were, needless to say, taken aback.
Covington, having fought for the tile twice, made the trip to London to serve as a backup. Fans were stunned considering that consistent contenders like Belal Muhammad were overlooked. Fans reacted on Twitter, with one fan writing:
“All us UFC fans at the moment.”
“Oh, wow. Colby is the backup? 🥹 Leon please miss weight, I want to see something.”
“Congrats to Usman-Leon for atleast making Colby come out of his shed after 1.5 years”
“Ufc loves giving favors to their american golden boy. Where was he when khamzat and shavkhat were calling him out.”
“That was outta nowhere damn. Make the Belal – Colby for the #1 contender.”
“This dude straight up avoids contenders and just begs for a titleshot all the time, smh.”
“Man imagine something happens to Leon last second and we get Colby vs Usman 3 for the interim title lol”
“Weird choice for the backup. Doesn’t deserve a title shot and also if Leon doesn’t make it to fight night they’re absolutely not doing Usman vs Colby 3.”
A rematch was inevitable after the shocking conclusion of their previous encounter in the Octagon.
At UFC 278’s last minute, Edwards landed a left high kick that threw Usman down and out, transforming what was supposed to be a unanimous decision win for the champion into one of the most unexpected events in recent MMA history.
Edwards started well, startling Usman with a takedown early to get out of the gates quickly, but after that, “The Nigerian Nightmare” composed himself and dominated the remaining 19 minutes of the battle. With Din Thomas, Joe Rogan, and Daniel Cormier all saying that Edwards was defeated and resigned to losing a unanimous decision, Jon Anik said, “but that is not the cloth from which he is cut” milliseconds before Edwards jumped high and knocked Usman out.
The exciting nature of this fight stems from the fact that the events in Salt Lake City raised many concerns about the competitors and the bout, many of which are likely to be resolved this coming Saturday in London.
We don’t know how Usman will react to getting knocked out, losing his welterweight title, and seeing his long unbeaten streak end all at once. Will Edwards be able to capitalize on that historic moment, or will he revert to the rhythm and pattern that had him trailing on the scorecards into the last minute?
And how will each man be changed by fighting in London? Will Edwards’s fan base rally around him and encourage him to improve as a candidate? Can Usman thrive as the “away” team trying to beat the home crowd and send them packing?
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