Leon Edwards blasts UFC president for Colby Covington title-shot push - "Dana White privilege is definitely real"

Leon Edwards sounded off on UFC President Dana White after he confirmed that Colby Covington will be the next challenger for the welterweight championship.

During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Edwards shared his thoughts on the welterweight title picture and believed that it was unfair to the other contenders who have been active in the past year. He mentioned that Covington is being rewarded for turning down fights and confirmed that "Dana White privilege" was real:

"I took the fight [with Khamzat Chimaev], he didn't take the fight and he's getting rewarded for not taking the fight. When it was me, I got removed out of the rankings, you know, so Dana White privilege is definitely real."

'Rocky' also noted that he doesn't believe there is a clear contender for his welterweight championship as yet. He mentioned that he'll be keeping an eye on Jorge Masvidal vs. Gilbert Burns, but added that he thinks the top-ranked fighters need another win for them to emerge as the clear No.1 contender:

"The only reason why Masvidal have a chance is the history that's on the fight and what's behind it, and the fact that I don't like him. But if he does lose, then like I said, there's no clear number-one contender that's actually earned it, you know. So I feel like they're all one fight away from fighting for a world title, so let them figure it out and from there, I'm ready for who ever."

Edwards mentioned that he won't accept the fight with 'Chaos' because he doesn't believe the California native deserves a title shot. It will be interesting to see how the promotion proceeds from here on.

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Colby Covington says he's the only contender that will generate interest against Leon Edwards

Colby Covington being confirmed as the next challenger for Leon Edwards' welterweight championship caught many UFC fans by surprise, including the champion.

During his appearance on Submission Radio, Covington shared why UFC President Dana White gave him the title shot. He stated that he's the only fighter in the division who brings attention to his fights, and the only reason that other contenders are mad is because they know he'll defeat 'Rocky':

"It comes from the numbers, numbers don't lie and everybody knows I draw the numbers. Whether you love me or whether you hate me, everybody wants to see me right now. And yeah, there's a lot of nerds out there crying, they're so sad, 'Oh, he doesn't deserve it.'...It's because they know what's coming, they know I'm about to be the undisputed champion of the world." [23:20 - 23:38]

'Chaos' and 'Rocky' have been linked to fighting each other in the past, but it never materialized.