John McCarthy thinks Colby Covington won’t ever “reach that pinnacle” following loss to Leon Edwards at UFC 296: “Did you see who he called out?”

MMA analyst John McCarthy isn’t convinced that Colby Covington will ever reach the championship level after his loss at UFC 296.

Last month at UFC 296, Colby Covington fell short in his attempt to claim the UFC welterweight championship. He lost via unanimous decision to Leon Edwards in a bout that was largely dominated by the reigning champion from Birmingham, England. In the aftermath of the contest, fans and pundits alike were quick to criticize ‘Chaos’ for the way he fought.

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Now, there are far more questions than answers regarding what’s next for him in the promotion. He seems to have his heart set on continuing his career, but there are so many uncertainties after his most recent performance.

In the eyes of John McCarthy, the time to get excited about Covington at the elite level has been and gone.

McCarthy’s reality check for Covington

“He (Covington) just can’t reach that level,” McCarthy said during an episode of the Weighing In podcast. “It can happen where you just can’t reach that pinnacle. There’s gonna people out there saying, ‘Well, Colby won the interim.’ No, interim ain’t crap. It’s just not the same because there was someone else that was actually better, sitting there with the title.

“You just look and you go… you’re not that guy to get to that level,” McCarthy continued. “Did you see who he called out? ‘Wonderboy.’ … Again, who is it that he has fought to get his wins? They’ve been guys (who are) 38, 39, 40; that’s the whole point. When he fought a 32-year-old, who was fast, look what happened! Speed kills.”

Quotes via MMA News

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