Two UFC fighters have needed to be separated at their pre-bout information convention in Las Vegas after one advised the opposite his useless father was in hell.
American challenger Colby Covington, 35, advised his British opponent Leon Edwards “I’m bringing you to the seventh layer of hell [in Saturday’s fight]. We’ll say ‘what’s up’ to your dad when we’re there.”
Edwards, 32, reacted by throwing a water bottle in Covington’s route. The pair, who each jumped up from their seats, had been shortly separated by safety employees.
Jamaica-born fighter Edwards’ father was shot useless in a nightclub when he was simply 13.
Covington, nicknamed “Chaos”, wore a colonial-era outfit with a wispy white wig and a “Make America Great Again” cap to the occasion and made patriotic references to the American Revolution, which went down nicely with US followers current.
Referencing his garments, he stated: “1776 baby, this is the American revolution. General Washington started it, general Covington ends it.”
Edwards, who relies in Birmingham, was booed by many of the viewers as he walked on stage initially, whereas followers cheered and stood as much as movie Covington as he bowed after making his entrance.
Saturday’s contest is Edwards’ second defence of his title after beating Kamaru Usman earlier this yr, whereas Covington is preventing for the primary time since a win over Jorge Masvidal in March 2022.
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Covington, who sat again together with his ft on the desk whereas grinning for almost all of the information convention, insulted numerous fighters moreover Edwards, together with Tony Ferguson and Stephen Thompson who’re on the UFC 296 undercard, and Ian Garry, who pulled out of his bout with Vicente Luque on Wednesday after contracting pneumonia.
Covington’s jibes had been largely obtained in good spirit by Edwards, who has stated beforehand he does not take the American’s persona severely, till the crass comment about his father was made.
The pair then engaged in a tense stand-off after the information convention amid a heavy safety presence.
Source: information.sky.com”