Colby Covington claims he was ‘in character’ after making a vile joke about Leon Edwards’ late father during a UFC 296 press conference ahead of their welterweight title clash
- Colby Covington appeared to distance himself from vile pre-fight comments
- ‘Chaos’ told Leon Edwards he had been ‘in character’ during press conference
- Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett MUST seize his moment in the UFC 296 limelight after seeing his career stutter – The Hook
Colby Covington has insisted he was ‘in character’ after making a vile remark about Leon Edwards’ late father ahead of their UFC welterweight title fight on Saturday.
The controversial 35-year-old contender made a number of off-colour remarks towards Edwards at the UFC 296 press conference on Thursday, before leaving the champion incensed by targeting his late father.
‘I’m bringing you to the seventh layer of hell,’ Covington told Edwards, before adding: ‘We’ll say “what’s up” to your dad while we’re there.’
Edwards immediately retaliated following the comment, throwing a water bottle at his rival before security intervened.
The tension between the pair was palpable in the aftermath, but Covington appeared to retract his remark when the pair faced off at Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins.
Colby Covington has appeared to walk back a vile remark he made about Leon Edwards’ late father
35-year-old contender twice told Edwards he was ‘in character’ as they squared off ahead of their fight on Saturday
In an interaction captured by the UFC’s Embedded, as he squared off with his opponent on the stage the former UFC interim champion twice remarked: ‘I was in character.’
Edwards’ father was shot and killed in a London nightclub when the MMA star was just 13. ‘Rocky’ has since said he believes the motive of the murderer was a dispute over money.
Covington’s distasteful joke drew criticism from a number of prominent figures from across the world of MMA.
During the UFC’s seasonal press conference earlier this week the promotion’s outspoken middleweight champion, Sean Strickland made his feelings clear.
‘Colby Is an utter piece of s**t,’ he said. ‘What it is, if you know Colby on a personal level, he f****d over everybody.
‘Him making fun of Leon’s dad is the biggest c*** move you could ever do.
‘And I take it as a personal insult to me, you guys, the Trump says are Republicans, you guys are my f*****g people, the blue collar workers, you guys are my f*****g people.
‘Leon’s mum, she raised a boy to be a f*****g man to win a title to be a good man. And a real fucking American would, would applaud for that. So just so you know, Colby is a fake f*****g p****.’
UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland slammed Covington for the distasteful comment
Heavyweight king Jon Jones voiced his support for Strickland’s criticisms in since-deleted post on social media
UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones shared a dorm room with Covington when the pair were aspiring amateur wrestlers in college and has frequently detailed his dislike for ‘Chaos’ over the years.
The pound-for-pound great took to social media in the aftermath of Covington’s comments to call him a ‘heinous human being.’
‘Couldn’t agree with Strickland anymore.’ Jones wrote in a since-deleted post on X.
‘Colby (Covington) is by far the most heinous human being I’ve ever encountered in my life. I won’t even get into personal stories, he’s an absolutely terrible human being.’
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