Colby Covington confirms UFC 296 foot injury, Ilia Topuria explains Paddy Pimblett beef, Dustin Poirier predicts BMF title bout: MMA News Roundup

Colby Covington says he suffered a foot injury against Leon Edwards, Ilia Topuria explains his beef with Paddy Pimblett, and Dustin Poirier predicts the UFC 300 BMF title bout.

Find out more details in today's (Feb. 6) Sportskeeda daily news roundup.

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#3. Colby Covington confirms he suffered foot injury during UFC 296 bout against Leon Edwards

Leon Edwards and Colby Covington faced off in the main event of UFC 296 last December.

'Rocky' sucessfully defended the welterweight title via unanimous decision, dominating Covington for a majority of the fight. 'Chaos' was uncharacteristically timid throughout the five rounds, rarely showcasing his impressive wrestling or relentless pressure.

Covington has since claimed that his lackluster performance was due to a foot fracture he suffered in the first round. Speaking in a recent interview with Submission Radio, the 35-year-old stated the first kick he threw landed on Edwards' elbow and resulted in a break:

"I knew straight away it was bad 'cause it was the first kick I threw. It landed right on his elbow. He was using orthodox, so I got a little overzealous, and I wanted to rip a high kick to his orthodox side 'cause I didn't know if he'd be defensively sound like he is from southpaw. So, the first kick I threw, high kick; it was kind of like a middle kick, and it landed on his elbow."

Catch Covington's comments here:

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#2. Ilia Topuria explains why beef with Paddy Pimblett is personal

Ilia Topuria has explained why his rivalry with Paddy Pimblett goes further than just regular MMA fighter beef.

Back at UFC Fight Night 204 in London, Pimblett and Topuria got into an altercation at the fighter hotel prior to the event.

'El Matador', who was born to Georgian parents and lived there between the ages of seven and 15, took issue with 'The Baddy' making light of the conflict between Russia and Georgia. Topuria has lost family members due to the fighting.

Speaking in a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Topuria stated that Pimblett is the only fighter who he actually dislikes. He said:

"I take every fight as a professional. I look to all my opponents as a professional, but with him, it's personal. If I see him in the supermarket, I smash him right there... Professional? He's not even ranked. Did you watch his last fight [at UFC 296 against Tony Ferguson]? It was embarrassing. His last fight was embarrassing... The level he showed in that fight, that's embarrassing. He looked like a beginner."

Check out Topuria's comments here:

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#1. Dustin Poirier makes shocking UFC 300 BMF title fight prediction

Dustin Poirier has cast his prediction for the UFC 300 BMF title bout, a clash which features two of his former opponents.

Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway will go head-to-head on the highly anticipated card, with Gaethje makes his first defense of his new title.

'The Diamond', who has faced both Gaethje and Holloway twice each, discussed the fight on recent appearance on The MMA Hour. Perhaps surprisingly, Poirier is giving the edge to 'Blessed', as he believes most are underestimating his size:

"I would put money on Max just because he's the underdog. I see a lot of people online saying that Max is going to be undersized [but] Max is a big guy. He and Gaethje probably walk around the same weight. Max isn't a small guy... It's a coin toss but if I was betting, I would bet on Max."

Catch Poirier's comments here: