Following the news of Leon Edwards pulling out of his March 21 bout with Tyron Woodley, Colby Covington has thrown his name in the hat as a potential replacement opponent.
Woodley vs. Edwards was set to headline UFC London this coming Saturday. The welterweight clash was scheduled to take place inside the O2 Arena in London, England. The UFC has been forced to move the event to the United States amid the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, Edwards pulled out of the contest. The promotion will not be using the UFC Apex in Las Vegas as the Nevada State Athletic Commission has suspended all sporting events.
Covington Wants Woodley On March 21, Woodley Responds
Covington took to his Twitter account to make it clear that he wants to step in and fight Woodley on Saturday.
“Word on the street is @LeonScott is out. The @ufc and America need a hero. Who wants see America’s Champ put the #MAGA cape on and beat the f*ck out of @twooodley live on @ESPN next week for your entertainment and my own personal pleasure?”
It didn’t take Woodley long to express his interest in going ahead with the March 21 plans and he wants a piece of Covington (via ESPN’s Ariel Helwani)
“Just spoke to @TWooodley briefly. He wants to fight. And he is ready to fight, he said. He has shut off all media and didn’t even know Edwards was 100% out. He has told his management he is interested in a particular opponent [Colby Covington].”
There is no love lost between Covington and Woodley. The two are former training partners at America Top Team. Once Woodley started splitting his time with Roufusport, Covington began firing verbal shots at “The Chosen One.”
Covington has poked the bear several times, calling Woodley “Tyquil.” The stage appeared to be set for a Sept. 2018 showdown between Woodley and Covington but “Chaos” chose to undergo nasal surgery and Darren Till ended up getting the fight.