Colby Covington Offers 2 Reasons for Leon Edwards Loss

"Going into the fight, I was compromised," Colby Covington on off-night vs. Leon Edwards before UFC Tampa.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

You're only as good as your last fight. For Colby Covington, the former interim champion says his title loss to Leon Edwards is "not a reflection of who I am".

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A fighter known for weaponizing his cardio, Covington failed to push the pace against then-champ Edwards in his third title opportunity at UFC 296 last December. Gunshy as ever, it wasn't the "Chaos" Covington we were used to, with low volume and fruitless takedown attempts.

Edwards outworked Covington across five rounds to retain his title, Covington's first loss outside of former champ Kamaru Usman in the last nine years.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Covington Says He Had Altitude Sickness During Last Fight Week

Taking a year off to heal injuries, Covington returns this Saturday against Joaquin Buckley in an effort to show the world his last fight was merely an off-night, one that came with a lot of adversity going in.

"I know I'm still an elite welterweight," Covington said at UFC Tampa media day. "I tried to go do a training camp in Breckenridge, Colorado because the altitude is like 9,000 square feet above sea level. I ended up getting HAP, which is high-altitude pulmonary oedema. It's altitude sickness. So, I came into fight week on Monday with bad f****** altitude sickness.

"People don't realize that if you go look at the media day, I couldn't even talk. I had frickin' phlegm coming down my throat, couldn't breathe. So, already going into the fight, I was compromised."

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Foot Injury In First 30 Seconds

Covington's "bedroom cardio" as the American puts it, one of his greatest assets was seemingly thrown out the window in his fight against Edwards due to HAP. On top of that, Covington claims he broke his foot with the first kick he threw on Edwards' elbow.

"In the first 30 seconds, I throw a kick, I break my foot in three different places. So that's not a reflection of who I am and how I fight," Covington said of his last performance at UFC 296. "I was just compromised. It wasn't my night and that happens. It's one fight. I've had 22 fights. So, you're going to have some hiccups here and there. I had a lot of adversity that I had to face in that fight.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

"Saturday night, I look forward to proving those doubters wrong and silencing all my critics."

Reflecting on his last fight against Leon Edwards at media day, Colby Covington said on a recent Twitch stream he doesn't hold anything against his former rival anymore as the two had a nasty build-up to their fight at UFC 296.

Colby Covington on UFC Retirement, Says Joaquin Buckley ‘Does Nothing for My Career'

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