Gilbert Burns is doubtful of Colby Covington’s assertion that he fractured his foot. Covington presented Submission Radio with an X-ray image of his injured foot, claiming it occurred when he kicked Leon Edwards’ elbow during their UFC 296 championship bout. Covington (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) attributed his subpar performance and unanimous decision loss to Edwards to his foot injury, but Burns remains unconvinced by his account.
Burns expressed his skepticism to The AllStar, stating, “He was moving around freely. I saw him walking without any issues. I didn’t see his name on the X-ray. I didn’t witness any signs of injury when he was out and about in Miami, playing poker and going everywhere. So, I don’t know. It’s difficult to believe anything Colby says.”
Burns further added, “It’s hard to determine when he’s telling the truth and when he’s playing a character. Many people claim he didn’t perform well, but I believe he did show up. However, Leon simply shut him down, and I think Leon is highly underrated. He completely neutralized Colby.”
Covington mentioned Burns (22-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC), Ian Machado Garry, and Stephen Thompson as potential future opponents. However, Burns, who is set to face Jack Della Maddalena (16-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) at UFC 299 on March 9, no longer has any interest in Covington.
Burns remarked, “I heard that he mentioned potentially fighting Ian Garry or me. Is that still a relevant fight? Considering the way he performed after being inactive for two years, I’m not sure. I’m not even considering him at the moment. I’ve called him out numerous times, and he had many opportunities to fight me. Right now, my focus is solely on Jack.”
He continued, “After the fight with Jack, we’ll see what happens, but I won’t underestimate Jack. He’ll be highly motivated. I just believe Edwards completely shut down Covington, and I think Covington’s career is finished. After the fight, he called out ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson, who just suffered a loss as well. It’s clear that Covington’s chances of fighting for the title again are slim. So, why bother fighting him?”
According to the Source mmajunkie.usatoday.com