“Mum, Dad, family.. bloodline”, Leon Edwards fighting for much more at UFC 296 after press conference brush-off

UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards spoke on his upcoming title defense against Colby Covington at UFC 296.

“Mum, Dad, family.. bloodline”, Leon Edwards fighting for much more at UFC 296 after press conference brush-off

Leon Edwards talking about fight with Colby Covington ( Image via Imago )

Leon Edwards recently gave his thoughts on his oncoming fight against Colby Covington. Edwards will defend his UFC welterweight title once again against former interim champion Colby Covington at UFC 296.

After Covington’s provocation about Leon’s father, the situation got heated. Leon Edwards addressed this in an interview with TNT Sports, where he dedicated the fight to his family and said: 

For my mom, my dad, for my whole family you know, my bloodline.
Leon Edwards via TNT Sports
YouTube video

Edwards has defended his UFC Welterweight belt once. He successfully defended it for the first time against former champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 286 in London. Leon Edwards became the undisputed UFC Welterweight champion in 2022 by defeating Kamaru Usman at UFC 278. He secured the win through a fifth-round TKO, knocking out Usman in the final minute of their title fight.

FS Video

Now, Leon Edwards will defend his UFC welterweight title against Colby Covington at UFC 296. The fight will take place at the T-Mobile Arena. This highly anticipated matchup is the main event, with Edwards putting his welterweight belt on the line against the two-time former title challenger Covington. The event promises an exciting clash between Edwards and Covington for the welterweight championship.

What happened between Colby Covington and Leon Edwards at the press conference?

Colby Covington made offensive remarks about Leon Edwards’ late father, nearly causing a throwdown before their UFC 296 fight. Covington claimed he was bringing Edwards to his father’s grave during a pre-bout row, provoking a heated exchange.

Colby Covington
Colby Covington (Image Courtesy – MMA Underground)

The insult at Edwards’ late father escalated tensions, almost leading to a physical confrontation during the UFC 296 press conference. Edwards threw a bottle of water at Covington, prompting security to intervene and separate them. Leon Edwards vowed retaliation and expressed his determination to make Covington pay in the octagon for disrespecting his father. He stated that Covington was “as good as dead tomorrow,” after he insulted his late father.

Leon Edwards’ late father was tragically murdered in Jamaica when Edwards was a teenager. This forced the family to move to England to get away from that life. Leon and his brother started practicing mixed martial to not follow in their father’s footsteps. Colby Covington’s comments provoked strong reactions from the MMA community, with multiple fighters uniting against Covington for mocking Edwards’ deceased father.

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