Oddsmakers Favor Leon Edwards as Colby Covington’s Next Opponent

After stopping rival Tyron Woodley last weekend, Colby Covington made it known who he wants to fight next:

President Trump called @ColbyCovMMA during the #UFCVegas11 post show 📱 pic.twitter.com/FJsUMQV8Xk

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 20, 2020

Marty is current UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman who defeated Covington at UFC 245 last December. Covington wants another crack at the gold but Usman is set to defend his title against Gilbert Burns at UFC 256. It’s unclear if Covington is willing to wait until next summer to fight again.

Street Judas is Jorge Masvidal who used to train with Covington at the American Top Team but who is now one of his worst enemies. These two have been teasing a fight for months now but Masvidal seems to be more interested in big money fights, including a rematch against Nate Diaz.

Edwards Favored to Land Covington Bout

But while Covington prefers fighting Marty or Street Jesus, oddsmakers have installed a different name as the odds on favorite to be Chaos’ next opponent. According to SportsBetting.ag, British fighter Leon “Rocky” Edwards is the betting favorite to land the next Covington bout.

Edwards is the UFC’s 3rd ranked welterweight. The 29-year old Jamaican-born fighter from Birmingham is one of the hottest fighters in the UFC’s welterweight division. Rocky has a record of 18-3 with six knockouts and three wins via submission. He has won his last eight bouts including consecutive victories over Donald Cerrone, Gunnar Nelson, and Rafael Dos Anjos.

Rocky was supposed to fight Tyron Woodley last March 21st but travel restrictions related to the pandemic forced him off that bout. He was also offered a title shot against Usman but turned it down due to his inability to travel and have a full training camp. The title shot eventually went to Burns who is scheduled to face Usman in December.

Makes A Lot of Sense

Edwards called out Covington shortly after Chaos stopped Woodley. Rocky referenced Covington as a “scumbag racist” and challenged him to a December fight:

Of course, the UFC has the last say on this, and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson has joined the fray, making his “first-ever” call out by challenging Edwards viaTwitter. But when you take a look at what’s happening around the 170-pound division, a fight between Covington and Edwards makes a lot of sense right now.

Chaos is the #1 ranked welterweight contender while Edwards is two ranks lower with Burns occupying the 2nd spot. Since Burns is set to fight Usman next and Usman has already defeated 4th ranked Masvidal, a fight between no.2 and no. 3 should produce the next title challenger.

Other Possible Foes

After Edwards, SportsBetting.ag has placed Masvidal next on the odds board at +350. Masvidal and Covington have a long history. Gamebred said that their beef started after Covington refused to pay one of the coaches at ATT. Covington countered that Masvidal is just jealous because he (Covington) was banging the hotter chicks.

Usman is third on the list at +450 as Covington has been looking to avenge the second loss of his career. But as stated earlier, he has a December fight with Burns. Burns is fourth on the odds board at +500 so if Covington were to fight Usman or Burns, Chaos will have to sit out until at least next summer.

The other names on SportsBetting.ag’s table are Nick Diaz (+750), Stephen Thompson (+900), and Conor McGregor (+1500). Diaz has not fought since 2015 although he’s teased a comeback. Thompson has been called out by new favorite Khamzat Chimaev while Conor McGregor’s situation is complicated right now.