There was a surprise at the official weigh-ins for UFC 286 on Friday.
Shortly after most of the fighters, including former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, successfully weighed in for the upcoming pay-per-view event, the backup for Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman III stepped onto the scales. Colby Covington weighed 170 pounds, the limit for a title fight.
You can watch Covington weigh in here, courtesy of our friends at MMA Fighting:
Colby Covington makes weight as the backup fighter for the #UFC286 main event ⚖️ pic.twitter.com/IfoozPvXC4
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) March 17, 2023
During the pre-fight press conference on Thursday, Edwards and Usman were asked by Chisanga Malata of The Sun about the backup fighter. Neither of them had heard about Covington, as ‘Chaos’ has yet to announce a return to the Octagon. However, with his appearance at the official weigh-ins, it appears as though he is getting closer to it.
Covington has fought twice for the UFC welterweight championship, falling short to Usman at UFC 245 and UFC 268, respectively. After his most recent loss to the ‘Nigerian Nightmare,’ the MMA Masters product rebounded with a unanimous decision over friend-turned-foe Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272 a year ago.
After the Masvidal fight, Covington was allegedly assaulted by ‘Gamebred’ outside of a restaurant in Miami Beach. The 35-year-old suffered several injuries, which saw him sidelined for the rest of the year. A court case regarding the assault is pending.
About the author: Kristen King is a writer for Bloody Elbow. She has covered combat sports since 2016. (full bio)
