....and it is quite obvious why that is.   I think that no matter what the result of the Edwards vs. Usman fight was that Covington was already being lined up to be the next taker.  This is why the camera crews were already near him after the fight was finished.  It's all a show.  

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The UFC to me often seems more like the WWE than it does like a real MMA system.   I understand that all sports outside of youth sports are about making money but the UFC is a little less covert in the way in which they go about doing this.   Sometimes people who are well out of the ranking system end up with big fights, headlines on PPV's, or even titles shots in divisions they have never fought in before simply because they have a lot of online clout (I'm looking at you Jon Jones!)   

I actually really like Colby Covington, but not necessarily because of his in ring prowess.  He is a decent fighter, and I think that he definitely does belong in the top ranking positions that he is in but if we look at his background, he doesn't necessarily "deserve" to be the next in line to fight against Edwards as Dana White stated in the post-fight interviews after UFC 286.

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Covington is a bit on an anomaly in the UFC because he went from being nearly cut from the roster to becoming one of the biggest draws in the sport simply by turning "heel."   If you don't know what "heel" means it is simply a bad guy that tries to get the crowd to NOT like him.  You are supposed to be rooting against them kind of like how Andre the Giant was always the bad guy and Hulk Hogan was always the good guy in WWE.   Once Covington went heel, he started to get a lot of attention.    

This is something I can relate to because I also enjoy WWE and I tend to like the heels more than the babyfaces.  

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Covington taunts his opponents frequently before, during, and after his matches and he gives the crowd every opportunity to dislike him and this is embodied by his chosen entrance song that used to belong to Kurt Angle.   He specifically chose this song because there had already been a well-established "YOU SUCK" portion of the song that goes along with the tune.   

I like Covington precisely for this reason and he at least appears to be a top contender until you look at what his past few wins entailed.   For one thing, he hasn't fought in nearly a year and his victories over Jorge Masvidal, Tyron Woodley and Robbie Lawler were fights against people that were already coming off of previous losses.  Two of them were on loss streaks and this can set up the very real possibility that these fights were specifically arranged in order to propel Covington to the top.   

But why would UFC do that?  The answer is simple:  Money.   Just like in any other sport money is the main driving force behind who is on any lineup.   Covington is going to be promoting the potential fight and eventually the real fight relentlessly from now until it happens.  He has a massive online following and love him or hate him, the guy gives really good interviews with plenty of humorous soundbites.  

If Dana White and the top brass at UFC want this fight to happen and Edwards and his camp decline, the UFC will simply strip him of the belt.   In many ways, it isn't up to you who you fight next in UFC and your only choice is to roll with the punches (pun intended) or quit.  

Personally I would love to see Covington fight **anyone** and I don't think it is a coincidence that we haven't seen the guy in an octagon for a year now.  Dana White has been saving this card for when he really felt it would be most financially beneficial to play it.   That time is now.