In the aftermath of UFC 286, fans have been able to grab a hold of several things to buzz around. Be it Leon Edwards’ blatant fence-grabbing or Colby ‘Chaos’ Covington weighing in as an unannounced backup fighter for the main event. The hype around the card gave the fans more than they had anticipated.
Recently, fans have been brewing a theory around the reason behind Colby Covington getting the next shot at the welterweight gold. In the post-fight presser, Dana White announced ‘Chaos’ as next in line for Edwards, “no matter what.” Critics took no time to lash out at Dana for making such an “unwise” decision. However, fans are not complaining about the return of Covington.
Colby Covington has been standing up throughout the entire Edwards vs. Usman fight #UFC286 pic.twitter.com/WYrPvttxUN
— Farah Hannoun (@Farah_Hannoun) March 18, 2023
Colby not only stepped up on the weighing scales, but he also made an appearance in the front rows in London’s O2 Arena the night of the fight. However, it wasn’t until Dana announced him as the next title challenger that a certain controversy started floating around. Many fans believe that Colby dropped the charges that he’d pressed against Jorge Masvidal after their infamous altercation in Miami.
The aforementioned controversy states that Colby secretly had a deal with the UFC. And as per the deal, the 35-year-old would get the next title shot if he were to drop the charges immediately. The MMA community quickly got on their high horses and labeled this as “something Dana would totally do.” This also coincides with Gamebred‘s court date being pushed back to May, just a month after his next fight against Gilbert Burns at UFC 287.
Fans accept this was a pre-planned motive and that Covington’s involvement at UFC 286 wasn’t a mere coincidence. The community believes that Colby, Dana, and the team had this deal sealed a while ago behind closed doors. While this pact doesn’t surprise many fans, it’s a subject that Dana will likely never address, let alone confirm.
Fans react to Colby Covington and his alleged deal with the UFC
Of course, fans wasted no time adding and reacting to the above-mentioned “deal”. They have taken to their social media to stir the pot regarding how Colby “got his way” to a title shot once again. While some believe this is the right call to make, others are just waiting for him to grace the Octagon after his last bout against Masvidal at UFC 272.
Two reasons I can think of, he’s gonna settle the case with Masvidal, as soon as he signs that title fight contract, so the case doesn’t have to go to trial, and Masvidal can fight…. Or cause he’s a trump supporter
— 🥦 (@Ishemarw) March 19, 2023
This is really the only logical explanation
— SPG (@SletKentDome) March 19, 2023
It’s all behind the scenes, I think the Jorge incident, the back up for 286, etc etc.
— Izakaya 💭 (@izakaya_trading) March 19, 2023
Dana white privilege is the only answer.
— Fabian Gonzalez (@da12345) March 19, 2023
I don't think it's going out on a limb too far to say that Colby's being there in London and Dana assuring the world that Colby is next was by mistake or not the result of some negotiations. Leon prob gets force fed this.
— Tim Spargo (@Inspector_Tim) March 19, 2023
It's almost like the ufc said we can't do another usman fight for you yet, but would love you to help Leon sell in July. 🤔
— Robert Flowers (@rflowers837) March 19, 2023
As soon as I found that Colby was the backup fighter, I knew that they're going to do everything in their power to get Leon the W. No way Usman & Colby are fighting for the 3rd time.
— El Camino (@RealElCam1n0) March 20, 2023
What do you think about the recent controversy surrounding the new advancements in the welterweight division? Do you think there is any merit to substantiate it? Let us know n the comments down below.
