Colby Covington has issued an explanation for his unusually low-energy performance last weekend against Leon Edwards.
Covington, the brash, MAGA-obsessed welterweight, has long been known for his relentless cardio and walk-forward aggression. But these elements were sorely lacking from his insipid performance against Edwards, who took the judges’ decision at a canter in what was a highly emotional bout for the reigning UFC 170-pound champion.
But speaking to the PBD podcast, as noted by MMA Fighting, Covington said that he broke his foot 30 seconds into the fight when Edwards blocked his first kick with his elbow. He added that he didn’t inform his coaches in-between rounds for fear that the information would make its way to Edwards’ team via the broadcast.
“I broke my foot in like the first 30 seconds of the fight, that people don’t know about yet — the X-rays will start coming out,” Covington said. “The first minute of the fight. I have the picture on my phone, the exact moment where it landed on his elbow.
“You feel it swelling up. At the end of the first round, you’re like man that hurts. Usually I sit on the stool, and I didn’t want to sit down on the stool. Landed right on the right elbow, the top of the foot.”
Covington explained that he was forced to adjust his weight to his right leg as a result, which would then take a relentless barrage of kicks to his thigh for much of the remaining duration of the fight.
“I wasn’t really able to step on it, so that’s why he was landing a couple of kicks on my right thigh,” he said. “Because my left foot was broken, so I was kind of putting all my weight on my right thigh. That’s terrible.
“Towards the end of the fight, I was like just deal with the pain and start lifting up your right leg and start checking some of these kicks. He didn’t start kicking after the fourth round, because he was feeling that I was catching his timing with the kicks, and he didn’t want to break his leg on my knee.
“It limits your mobility,” he added. “I couldn’t really move after that. I was kind of stuck in place, and I was just trying to make sure that I could get through the fight. I never quit.”
Covington is now 2-3 in his past five fights.
