After successfully defending his UFC welterweight championship in the main event of UFC 286 on Saturday, Leon Edwards is putting his foot down when it comes to his next opponent.

While speaking to Ariel Helwani on Monday's episode of The MMA Hour, Edwards declared that he will not fight Colby Covington next, disputing UFC President Dana White's announcement on Saturday that the two of them will be matched up. Edwards noted that Covington's inactivity is his reason for not accepting the fight.

"He's getting rewarded for not taking fights," Edwards said. "When it was me, I got removed from the rankings. So this Dana White privilege is definitely real."

Covington hasn't fought since March 2022 when he defeated Jorge Masvidal by unanimous decision. He is 2-2 in his last four fights, with both losses coming in title bouts against former champion Kamaru Usman, who Edwards defeated for the second time on Saturday.

To the surprise of many, Covington showed up in London and weighed in as the backup fighter for the title fight on Friday, which was something the UFC didn't announce beforehand. After Edwards retained his belt, White said in the press conference that fighting Covington next "makes sense" and "he deserves the fight."

Edwards shunned that notion immediately, and he told Helwani that he feels Covington needs to "earn his way like I had to do."

Prior to receiving a title shot against Usman this past August, Edwards embarked on a 10-fight unbeaten streak that began in 2016. His long and winding path to becoming champion included an instance in which he was removed from the UFC welterweight rankings due in part to being unable to travel from London to the United States because of restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of Monday, Covington remains No. 2 in the welterweight rankings behind Usman despite his yearlong layoff. He has been called out by fellow contenders Belal Muhammad and Khamzat Chimaev, but he doesn't appear to be interested in anything other than a title shot.

However, Edwards being champion opens up the opportunity for some fresh title matches. He has a longstanding rivalry with Masvidal, who is scheduled to take on Gilbert Burns at UFC 287 on April 8. Edwards will surely have his eye on that fight, and it wouldn't be a surprise if he pushes to face the winner in his next title defense.