Belal Muhammad didn’t assume a lot about Colby Covington heading into UFC 296, however he someway left Las Vegas with even much less respect for the three-time title challenger.
Muhammad saved an in depth eye on Covington and reigning UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards as a backup for the title struggle, hoping he would face the winner in 2024. It didn’t matter who got here away with the title, as a result of he simply wished his probability to grow to be champion.
However then Covington launched an ill-advised insult geared toward Edwards’ deceased father throughout the pre-fight press convention that even had Muhammad feeling unhealthy for a possible future opponent.
“Actually, it was pathetic,” Muhammad mentioned about Covington in an interview with MMA Preventing. “It reveals you what his actual character is. Individuals have been like, ‘He’s enjoying a job,’ however once you go that low, that’s not enjoying a job. That’s what you might have actually within you. You’re soulless. You’re actually a disgusting individual – a disgusting human being, true to the core.
“I feel for him to do this, he had do this as a result of he wasn’t reaching Leon with any of his regular trash speak. He wasn’t affecting him in any method, so he’s like, ‘I’ve to stage up.’ He in all probability has a author who does analysis, and he’s like, ‘If we’re going to go low, low, let’s do that one proper right here. This one will get him.’ He thought that might strike him emotionally, and it in all probability did, however he thought that it might have an effect on him within the struggle, and I don’t assume it affected him within the struggle the best way he thought it was.
“He in all probability thought Leon would run out actual fast and attempt to go loopy from the beginning. Simply the truth that you’re doing that, saying that, it’s pathetic.”
The abhorrent remark made nearly everyone uncomfortable — together with UFC CEO Dana White — however Covington nonetheless needed to again up his phrases within the cage. The one drawback was his efficiency was largely muted as he failed to have interaction with Edwards, spending many of the struggle backing up towards the cage.
Edwards repeatedly sniped away from the skin, and he even managed two takedowns towards the previous All-American wrestler from Oregon State. When it was over, he gained a reasonably lopsided determination; White later mentioned Covington appeared “gradual and previous” after making his first UFC look in practically two years.
“There was no stress from Colby,” Muhammad mentioned concerning the efficiency. “There wasn’t the identical relentless wrestling that he at all times did, as a result of I don’t assume Leon gave him the prospect to. Leon is superb at utilizing his distance.
“I feel Leon’s mistake in that entire time was realizing, ‘Colby took me down as soon as, I popped proper again up, he took me down once more, I popped proper again up,’ so there was nothing to concern from Colby’s finish. Leon ought to have went for the kill extra.”
That mentioned, Muhammad had a intestine feeling Covington wouldn’t dwell as much as expectations, particularly after he spent the higher a part of the previous two years analyzing him as a possible opponent.
“He appeared horrible,” Muhammad mentioned. “It was a type of issues the place I’ve mentioned from the start that Colby could be my best matchup within the prime 10. I knew what his model was, and tips on how to beat him, and Leon did job of simply placing him on his backfoot, making him uncomfortable.
“Colby, his putting, I at all times mentioned was amateurish, and each punch he landed, none of it harm. The punches he was throwing have been like cardio kickboxing punches. Leon would simply await it after which counter off it straight away. Then as soon as he began countering off it, Colby received afraid.”
With Covington falling to 0-3 in undisputed title fights, and a 2-3 resume in his previous 5 fights, it’s going to be a really robust highway again into competition.
Covington may even flip 36 in February. Age stays one of many largest obstacles in a division the place solely Kamaru Usman and Tyron Woodley held the title previous 35.
In different phrases, Muhammad believes we’ve seen the final of Covington as a official title challenger. He could stick round for a number of extra fights — Covington already tried calling out Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson — however he expects the Edwards loss to function Covington’s closing probability at changing into UFC champion.
“For positive, I feel he’s performed with,” Muhammad mentioned. “There’s actually nothing else left for him. If I’m ‘Wonderboy’ there’s method higher fights on the market for him, particularly now that Michael ‘Venom’ Web page is within the UFC now. He’s going to go towards a striker. The best way that he misplaced that struggle [against Shavkat Rakhmonov], [Thompson is] solely combating strikers any more. Colby’s on the lookout for that struggle, any person he can wrestle and attempt to get a win so he can get one other mic time.
“However the recreation’s over. Individuals understand that you simply’re not going to struggle considered one of these actually good prime 10 guys. Any of the highest 10 guys will beat him proper now. So he’s going to attempt to choose and select his subsequent opponent. Perhaps he’ll go right down to [lightweight], perhaps he’ll attempt to name out Dustin Poirier, attempt to choose at that. However his title reign days are over with.”
Trending Merchandise
