Colby Covington has accused Leon Edwards of repeatedly grabbing the fence during his UFC 286 win over Kamaru Usman.
Edwards was looking to retain his title after snatching the belt from Usman last year with a stunning final-round KO. He successfully defended the belt in a trilogy match-up last weekend, this time outpointing his rival on the judges' scorecards.
But despite earning the decision, it was not all plain sailing for Edwards who was deducted a point by referee Herb Dean after grabbing the cage to prevent being taken down in the third round. This was not the only warning 'Rocky' received given he also held the gloves of the Nigerian, in addition to landing two separate shots deemed to be low blows.
Potential upcoming rival Covington has furiously slammed Edwards for his performance and suggested that the Briton tried to deny the claims after the fight. "He's [Leon Edwards] out there poking the guy in the eye, kicking him in the n*ts, grabbing the fence and then Herb Dean stops the action," Covington said in an interview with James Lynch when assessing the incidents during Edwards' recent win.
"Herb is like, 'Yo, Leon uh what are you doing man, you can't grab the fence.' Then tries to deny it in front of the world James, he's trying to deny it. Dude the whole world just saw you completely blatantly grab the fence and now you're gonna deny it? He later added in a further interview: “What I thought about the main event is, damn man, I thought Marty Fakenewsman [Usman] was a cheater. Man, Leon Scott’s the biggest cheater I’ve ever seen.
“The guy talks about ‘headshot, dead’. Dude should be talking about, cage grab, nut grab, nut kick, short grab, this grab. I mean, the guy did everything you could possibly do to cheat in the fight. I mean, he made Marty Fakenewsman look like a choirboy out there. The guy’s just a f***ing cheater. He’s a piece of sh*t, and I didn’t make much of the fight."
Do you think Colby Covington should be next in line for Leon Edwards? Let us know in the comments section below
Covington was cageside for the event and immediately looked to confront Edwards over a potential title challenge. Edwards is likely to have several contenders gunning for his title, but UFC president Dana White has suggested Covington will get the shot later this year.
However the 31-year-old has suggested he would rather accommodate previous rival Masvidal given the extra intrigue over a showdown. He said: "I feel the Colby fight, there’s literally no storyline. The guy sat out for a year and then slid into a title shot. It’s weird, you know?
"I’m the king now, I’ve earned my way. I feel like I should decide who’s next. So if he [Masvidal] get's the job done, I'll have a look, I'll consider it, and if he begs me then I might let him slide in here.“
