[autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] thinks UFC 295 needs a big backup fight – and it should be him.
UFC 295 is headlined by heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC), who defends his title against Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) on Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Covington (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) is slated to challenge welterweight champion [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] (21-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) next. He hopes their fight lands on UFC 295 because he doesn’t think the UFC can depend on Jones.
“You heard what Dana White said in his interview,” Covington told Submission Radio. “He said, ‘Hey, it’s looking like this is going to go to the Garden.’ And let’s talk about why it deserves to go to the Garden: Because first off, not only is Colby ‘Chaos’ Covington fourth-highest gate in the history of Madison Square Garden – it’s just facts; I’m up there above Rolling Stones, Muhammad Ali, Hulkamania, all these great figures, and here I am, Colby Chaos Covington, fourth-highest rate. I bring the electric factor every time I come to fight, so it makes sense that this goes to the Mecca. And guys, let’s talk about it. Everybody keeps saying 30th anniversary. They put it on the gloves: 30th anniversary. It’s a big deal for the company.
“And I love this company so much. I’m a company man. I love UFC. It’s such an honor to fight for UFC. So let’s do the biggest and best business we can do in the Mecca, the heart, Madison Square Garden. New York City is Trump country. It is Colby Covington country. This fight needs to go to Madison Square Garden. We all know why. Jon Jones is unreliable. Come on, let’s be honest. The guy could fail his steroid test. He could beat his wife again, end up in jail. He could do all these different things. Wasn’t he the first guy that ever got a whole entire event canceled for him?”
Covington is likely referring to UFC 151 in September 2012, which then light heavyweight champion Jones was scheduled to headline against Dan Henderson. Henderson withdrew, and Jones was offered short-notice replacement Chael Sonnen which he declined. As a result, the event was canceled.
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.