Vicente Luque explains why Leon Edwards deserves title shot over Colby Covington
UFC welterweight contender Vicente Luque explained why he believes Leon Edwards deserves the next title shot over Colby Covington.
Although Edwards is unbeaten over his last 10 fights in a row, UFC president Dana White recently said that Covington will be next in line to fight UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. The champ has actually fought both Edwards and Covington in the past, having defeated Edwards by decision in 2015 and Covington by knockout in 2019. Both Edwards and Covington are deserving of getting a rematch with the champ, but only one fighter can step into the Octagon with Usman, and if we are to believe what White says, it will be Covington next.
Speaking to AG Fight, Luque — one of the division’s top contenders — vouched for Edwards to get the title shot instead of Covington. In the Brazilian’s view, what Edwards has done with his 10-fight unbeaten streak has been very impressive, so Luque stumped for Edwards to get the next title shot at 170lbs, explaining why he believes the Brit deserves it more than Covington.
“It’s hard to say if it’s fair or not because the UFC is unconventional. There are no people behind them, who make the ranking, due to their victories. But looking from the marketing side, it’s a fight that sells a lot. I understand why the UFC wants to do this fight (Usman vs. Covington), but I think Covington would need one more victory to deserve the rematch. It was a tough fight (at UFC 245), but Kamaru got the knockout and left no doubt,” Luque said.
“His fight with Edwards would be interesting for two reasons. One, because Edwards is coming off ten fights without losing and that’s really hard to do in the division. He deserves it. The other is the fact that they fought in the past and it was a tough fight too. Kamaru won by decision, but I see a big evolution in Edwards. It would be an interesting fight, a rematch that would draw attention, but the UFC knows what sells the most and that’s what they’re after. Before the sport, it’s entertainment, so they’re going to look at selling the fight.”
Do you agree with Vicente Luque that Leon Edwards deserves the next title shot over Colby Covington?
