UFC 296: Colby Covington accuses Leon Edwards of being a cheater: “This guy makes ‘Marty’ look like a freakin’ saint”

Colby Covington thinks he has reason to believe his UFC 296 opponent Leon Edwards is a cheater.

Covington will be challenging Edwards for the UFC Welterweight Championship on December 16. The title fight will headline UFC 296 inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It’ll be Covington’s first bout since March 2022 when he defeated Jorge Masvidal via unanimous decision.

RELATED: COLBY COVINGTON SAYS HE ALREADY FEELS LIKE THE CHAMPION AFTER “BEATING” KAMARU USMAN AT UFC 268: “I CAME BACK AND RALLIED”

Colby Covington Labels Leon Edwards A “Cheater”

During an appearance on the All Out Fighting YouTube channel for Mirror Fighting, Colby Covington shared his belief that Leon Edwards resorts to cheating tactics (via MMAJunkie).

“As a fighter, Leon Scott is the biggest cheater the sport’s ever known,” Covington said in an interview with All Out Fighting. “I thought ‘Marty’ (Usman) was a cheater. Man, this guy makes ‘Marty’ look like a freakin’ saint. Leon is a cheater.

“He’s poking people in the eyes, kicking people in the nuts, he’s grabbing the fence. I mean, the guy’s the biggest cheater the sport’s ever seen and that’s the only way I was able to prepare for him. Just prepare for all the cheating he’s going to do.”

Covington also called Edwards a “mumbling, fumbling idiot.” He dared journalists to figure out what “Rocky’s” IQ is because he’s “dumber than a bag of rocks.” He went as far as to call Edwards a “waste of f*cking chromosomes and a waste of space.”

Edwards has been mostly mum when it comes to trash talk towards Covington, but he did tell TNT Sports that “Chaos” is a “big talker” and he can’t wait to shut him up. “Rocky” has also revealed his plan to go for the middleweight championship if he can get past Covington in the main event of UFC 296.