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Ben Askren Provides Theory On Colby Covington's Disappointing Performance At UFC 296

Originally posted on MMA News | By Harvey Leonard | Last updated 12/21/23

According to former Bellator and ONE Championship titleholder Ben Askren, Colby Covington may have been doubting his own abilities at UFC 296 this past weekend.

Covington made the walk in the main event of the December 16 pay-per-view at Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena, challenging welterweight kingpin Leon Edwards in what marked his first fight since a win over Jorge Masvidal in March 2022.

As always, "Chaos" spoke a big game during fight week. In addition to proclaiming his superiority over the welterweight division and insisting a title crowning was inevitable, the ex-interim champ was criticized for his personal trash talk.

But like his previous two opportunities at reaching the throne, Covington failed to back up his words on fight night, with Edwards cruising to a comfortable unanimous decision victory across five rounds.

The brash American has since received heavy scrutiny for his disappointing display, and one of his fellow decorated wrestlers thinks he knows the reason why Covington underperformed.

Askren Puts Covington Loss Down To His 'Celebrity Lifestyle'

During a recent interview with MiddleEasy, ex-UFC welterweight Ben Askren gave his reaction to and assessment of Edwards' comfortable second title defense against Covington in "Sin City."

Like many, "Funky" speculated that the 35-year-old's layoff may have played a part, but not necessarily due to ring rust. In the eyes of Askren, an apparent desire to live a "celebrity lifestyle" instead of putting full focus on training could have left Covington unsure of his own talents.

"That was weird. I don't know what his strategy was," Askren said. "It looks like he was fearful of Leon's striking... What I would chalk it up to, if I had to guess... he hasn't fought in almost two years, and that fight was against Jorge Masvidal, a guy who he knew he was way better than. So, he hasn't been in a real fight for over two years, one where he thought, 'This guy is really tough, really competitive, and I'm gonna have to put on my best performance to beat him.'

"In that time, I feel like he's kind of wanted to live maybe the celebrity lifestyle and not grind like he used to," Askren continued. "Maybe that gave him some doubt in his own abilities, and that's where the hesitation came from."

Criticism toward Covington has only increased in the days since UFC 296, with the veteran welterweight's public claims that "anti-trump bias" led to the judges denying him a win causing a stir.

Despite the reaction to his return, "Chaos" is hoping to bounce back in 2024 by sharing the cage with Stephen Thompson, who fell short against Shavkat Rakhmonov at the year-ending PPV.

But with many of Covington's biggest wins coming against aging vets perceived by many to have been past their prime, that callout hasn't been well-received by all.

This article first appeared on MMA News and was syndicated with permission.

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