LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] initially brushed off [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag]’s trash talk as a gimmick, but a personal insult changed the course of fight week.
As he sat relieved and smiling at the UFC 296 post-fight news conference, Edwards (22-3 MMA, 14-2 UFC) admitted those around him got his mental right when he was struggling in order for him to turn in a unanimous decision win over Covington (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC).
“That was definitely one of the most emotional fights I’ve had to deal with, the comments that he made,” Edwards told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “I’ve got a great support system around me and they definitely got me in the right space to go out there and compete as an athlete. My mind and my body wanted to go out there and have a war with him. But when I looked toward my coaches and my mom and everyone, they said, ‘OK, shut it all off for 25 minutes and after that you can deal with the emotions. I was able to do that.”
Among fighters, Edwards hopes the can be an unspoken code going forward. In the fight game where more insults fly than real life, there are some that never should, said Edwards, who received a tremendous amount of support from his fellow fighters.
“I feel like kids are out of it,” Edwards said. “I feel like murdered parents should definitely be out of it,” when asked about trash talk. “I don’t get how you use that as a way to sell fights or entertainment. … I think my reaction to it threw him off a bit. No one was feeling what he was saying.
“The fans turned against him and the media was like, ‘What are you doing?’ He’s a coward and he’s always been a coward. Even though he lost the fight, he’ll keep making excuses. I won the fight. Even when Usman knocked him out and broke his jaw, he’s like, ‘Oh, that’s Marc’s (Goddard) fault.’ It’s always someone else’s fault when he loses.”
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Past Covington and with another title defense on his record, Edwards turns toward the future. UFC CEO Dana White indicated a decision has not been made as to who the next challenger will be, despite a previous statement it’d be Belal Muhammad (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC).
“There are definitely other options,” Edwards said. “I don’t feel like Belal should be next. I’ve done it before. I’ve won about 10 fights in a row and didn’t get a title shot. What makes him different or more privileged? Colby has already skipped the line already. Let’s see who’s next. Like I said, this is ‘Rocky’s’ era. This is my era now and I’ll keep reigning. Whoever is next, it doesn’t matter. They’re all similar styles anyway. They’re all boxers and wrestlers. I’ll build my career on it. Whoever comes next, it’s whatever.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.