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The No.2 ranked UFC bantamweight, Sean O’Malley recently voiced his criticism towards Leon Edwards for his controversial decision to deny Colby Covington a welterweight title shot after UFC 286.
Edwards, along with many fans, believes that Covington hasn’t been active enough and needs more high-quality victories to be eligible for a title shot. However, “Suga” disagrees and thinks that Edwards should cooperate with the UFC and fight Covington to get on the UFC’s “good side”, rather than risk being on their “bad side”.
O’Malley shared his insights on the matter via YouTube, while the discussion on Covington’s legitimacy for title contention continues.
Sean O’Malley: Edwards Shouldn’t “Anger” UFC by Refusing Covington Fight
“I think [Colby vs. Leon] is going to happen.” O’Malley remarks. “If Leon [refuses] the fight… [the UFC] is not afraid of saying ‘OK, don’t fight, we’ll have a new belt, new champ’. So, you know, I think if you’re Leon, you don’t get on the bad side of the UFC. You say ‘yes sir, if that’s what the f—- you guys want, I’m going to go out there and beat this dude. I’m going to do that, and we’re going to sell a lot of f—ing pay-per-views.’
“Just get on that good side! You don’t want to be on their bad side.”
O’Malley’s comments are not without precedent, as the UFC has been known to introduce interim championships when champions fail to meet certain demands. This practice has often led to controversy within the community, with many fans questioning the legitimacy of the interim champions. A prime example of this occurred during UFC 265, where an interim heavyweight championship was established for the fight between Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane, as lineal champion Francis Ngannou wished to defend his belt in September instead of August 2021.
This heavyweight debacle sullied the relationship between Ngannou and the UFC, and ultimately resulted in Ngannou departing the promotion whilst being the reigning heavyweight champion.
Regardless of the fact, O’Malley’s argument is not solely based on the UFC’s history of creating interim championships. He also suggests that Edwards should cooperate with the UFC to ensure that he is looked upon in good favour by the promotion in the future.
Leon Edwards’ ‘Rocky’ Road to UFC Stardom
Edwards has undoubtedly faced numerous challenges on his road to the UFC welterweight title. After suffering his second loss in the promotion to Usman back in 2015, Edwards went on a tear, winning eight consecutive fights against tough opponents such as Donald Cerrone and Rafael dos Anjos. However, despite his impressive win streak, Edwards struggled to secure a title shot, with the UFC favoring other fighters such as Masvidal and Covington.
Edwards’ situation was further complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused the cancellation of his scheduled fight with Tyron Woodley in 2020. Edwards was then met with three back-to-back cancellations against Khamzat Chimaev, before fighting Belal Muhammad and ending the fight via eye poke in the second round, resulting in a no-contest.
Edwards moved on from Muhammad and sought to fight Nate Diaz two months later. The fight was cancelled, and the two fought one month after, with Edwards winning a unanimous decision and earning the attention of fans.
Masvidal would pull out of Edward’s next fight and force a cancellation, before it was announced that Edwards would fight for the title at UFC 278. The rest is history.
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