"I’ve really got to ask him” - Daniel Cormier believes Colby Covington was “afraid” of Leon Edwards after making comments about his father

Colby Covington's performance against Leon Edwards at UFC 296 left a lot to be desired.

For years, 'Chaos' has been regarded as one of the most relentless fighters in the promotion. He uses his seemingly endless cardio as well as his grappling predigree to dominate opponents.

But his unusually slow display against 'Rocky' during their title fight has led to speculation that he may have entered the octagon afraid.

Daniel Cormier pointed to Colby Covington's controversial comments about Leon Edwards' father, made at the UFC 296 pre-fight press conference, as the reason for his potential fear.

Cormier also mentioned the immediate change in demeanour from 'Rocky, which he feels could have added to the apprehension felt by Covington in the build-up to the fight.

During a recent YouTube video, alongside Ben Askren, Cormier said this:

"I've really got to ask [Colby]. I need to get an opportunity to talk to him and ask him, like, 'What was it?' And I'll ask him straight up, 'Were you afraid?' It just felt a little bit like he was a bit afraid... We've never seen [Colby] not pressure. It's his calling card. It's all he does from start to finish."

Watch the video below from 5:55:

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Colby Covington names the two subjects he would never mention while trash-talking an opponent

Colby Covington is one of the most brash and provocative trash-talkers in the UFC right now.

There are numerous viral clips of Covington's moments on the microphone, and at the UFC 296 press conference last week, 'Chaos' added another moment to that highlight reel when he mentioned Leon Edwards' late father.

The controversial comments led to discussions about what was acceptable subject matter when it came to trash-talk between fighters.

During his appearance on the PBD Podcast, hosted by Patrick Bet-David, following UFC 296, Colby Covington named the topics that he would never go after verbally attacking an opponent. He said:

"You'll definitely get a call at times [from the UFC] if you're racist or you go after someone's religion. But I'd never go after those two things. I'll expose things that need to be exposed because it's the truth and it's honesty."

'Chaos' added:

"You can look up the public records about his dad. And it's not my fault, he's the one that put him in the limelight in the first place and make it a sympathetic figure."

Watch the video below from 15:20: