Published 03/17/2023, 9:00 AM PDT
SINGAPORE – JUNE 17: Colby Covington of United States (front) reacts after his fight with Dong Hyun Kim of South Korea (back) in the Welterweight Bout during UFC Singapore Fight Night at Singapore Indoor Stadium on June 17, 2017 in Singapore. (Photo by Suhaimi Abdullah/Getty Images)
The clock is ticking for UFC 286, and excitement around the event is reaching a fever pitch. Welterweight stars Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman successfully weighed in on Friday morning for their championship clash on Saturday at the O2 arena in London, United Kingdom. The UFC is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that this event is a blockbuster, even in the unlikely event that either of the main-event fighters falls short. And in a surprising turn of events, former UFC welterweight title challenger Colby Covington has officially weighed in as the backup fighter for Edwards vs. Usman 3.
This was being speculated much earlier this week, but no confirmation was made in this regard by the UFC or the fighters. Now that it is official and has made its way to the internet, the 35-year-old fighter has sent out a short yet slick message to the public.
Colby Covington is the ‘main’ man
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The backup for Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman was kept under wraps until the ‘Chaos’ surprisingly showed up at the weigh-in ceremony, but the UFC did a commendable job of keeping Covington’s status a secret until it was made official and made it to the internet. And the 35-year-old himself has now put forth his comment on the surprise he presented the UFC fans with a clip posted on Instagram.
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The Californian fighter commented, “The real Main Event 🇺🇸 [eagle emoji] 🇺🇸”.
With that, Covington, known for his slick trash talk, has now sent out a short yet powerful message to his fellow welterweight contenders and fans alike.
Hence, the 35-year-old is ready to step up if needed. In fact, according to Dana White, he is more than ready to take on anyone in the octagon, too.
‘Chaos’ is ready for absolutely anyone
Since his last bout at UFC 272 last year, Colby Covington has been on the sidelines. The welterweight contender has not competed since then, owing to some legal issues surrounding an alleged attack by Jorge Masvidal.
Recently, Covington was called out by Shavkat Rakhmanov, but it seems that the ‘Chaos’ is more than ready to return to the octagon. Responding to ‘Nomad’s challenge, the UFC president revealed that Covington is ready to fight anybody.
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“Colby is ready to fight. He’s ready to fight, and he’s ready to fight anybody. I know, we’ve reached out to him for a couple of different fights and he said yes to it, but it just didn’t work out.”, said the promotional frontman.
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Nonetheless, the fact that he’s willing to fight anybody shows that he’s a true fighter at heart, and fans can expect fireworks when he steps back into the octagon.
Watch this story: “Once He Comes Back It’s Over…” – UFC World Reacts to Latest Colby Covington-USADA News