Colby Covington claims biased judges cost him title at UFC 296: 'They hate me because I support Trump'
UFC fighter Colby Covington pointed fingers at the judges' alleged political bias for his unanimous decision loss against Leon Edwards at UFC 296 as former President Donald Trump looked on while in attendance.
During the post-fight press conference on Sunday, Covington claimed that the judges have "never favored" him because of his allegiance to Trump.
"They hate me because I support Trump," he alleged.
Covington told "Jesse Watters Primetime" on Wednesday that he believes judges "stacked the deck against us" because of his political stance - which he claims robbed him of victory in the title bout.
"If it's in a judging position, in a fight or any type of athletic sporting event, they're going to stack the deck against us, so it's a sad time in our country, but we the people need to rise up, and we can't let this keep us down," he said.
Covington has since received criticism for attributing his loss to the alleged political bias of judges.
Colby Covington is seen on stage during the UFC 296 press conference at MGM Grand Garden Arena on December 14, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Watters told Covington that it looks like he had "won on paper" with more total strikes and the same amount to the head. Covington added that he also had five minutes more control time.
Covington further explained that he broke his foot in the first 30 seconds of the fight when the first kick he threw was blocked by Edwards’ elbow.
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The UFC welterweight adamantly told Watters that he wants a rematch against Leon Edwards.
"I deserve it," said Covington. "You know, I think I broke my foot in the first 30 seconds of the fight, kicking it on his elbow, so I want a rematch with this guy. I'm going to come back stronger. I'm just like the American people. You know, we never give up, you can knock us down, but we just learn. We don't lose, we only learn. We come back stronger," he said.
Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump attends the UFC 296: Edwards vs. Covington event at T-Mobile Arena on December 16, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Covington has a 17-4-0 record as of press time.
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Trump also took in the action at UFC 295 last month at Madison Square Garden. The cameo at UFC 296 was Trump's fourth appearance at a UFC pay-per-view event this year, including UFC 287 in Miami and UFC 290, which also was in Vegas.
Follow Fox News Digital’s Ryan Morik contributed to this report.
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