In becoming and remaining UFC welterweight champion, Leon Edwards has battled an old rival, his own demons, the Utah altitude, and in-ring penalties. On Saturday, the Jamaican-born Briton will battle tenacity incarnate, as he defends his title against Colby Covington at UFC 296.
When Edwards dethroned Kamaru Usman in August 2022, he earned vengeance for a loss eight years prior, but also vindication for years spent crafting one of the best-rounded skillsets in MMA. In the first round, Edwards showed how significantly his grappling had improved, as he became the first opponent to take down the then-No 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC. And in the final round, after struggling against the conditions in Utah and suffering under the relentless wrestling of Usman, Edwards showed how superior his striking really was, knocking the champion out cold with a picture-perfect head kick – with just one minute left on the clock.
Years of winning, years of waiting, and finally Edwards had his shot at the gold – and found the “headshot” to create history, as Britain’s second UFC champion ever. Then came his first title defence, in March, in a trilogy bout against Usman in London. Just as he had been in previous wins against the likes of Rafael dos Anjos and Donald Cerrone, Edwards was versatile and clinical en route to a decision win, though a point deduction for a fence grab threatened to bring his reign to a swift and underwhelming end.
Ultimately, though, it was another battle won by Edwards, who has been battling since he was a boy. Edwards was born in Kingston before his family moved to Birmingham, and he was still just 13 when his father was shot and killed in London. Edwards, now 32, and his younger brother Fabian grew into men before their time – and into skilled martial artists.
Leon Edwards (right) in his trilogy bout with Kamaru Usman in March— (PA)
Leon has always had a calm aura about him, but he is tenacious; to highlight that Covington has that same quality in abundance is not to suggest that Edwards doesn’t. Similarly, to praise the beauty and efficiency of Edwards’s eclectic techniques is not to suggest that Covington is entirely raw or reckless. However, he is often wild.
The likelihood in Saturday’s main event is that the controversial Covington, a cardio machine, will bear down on Edwards for as many of the 25 scheduled minutes as possible, forcing “Rocky” onto the back foot and to compromise on technique. The task for Edwards, then, will be to maintain that technique and to pick holes in the American’s frantic and sometimes faulty striking.
Covington typically uses his strikes to close distance and enable his greatest strength which, like Usman, is his offensive wrestling –although “Chaos” tends to employ his at a greater pace. Edwards struggled to combat that approach in his first fight with Usman in 2015, and for a long spell in their rematch because of the altitude, but he showed a great ability to deal with that offence in March. Ahead of UFC 296 in Las Vegas, Edwards has now trained to fight an offensive wrestler for the third bout in a row, so he will fancy his chances of neutralising Covington.
Covington (left) last fought in March 2022, beating Jorge Masvidal on points— (Getty Images)
That confidence will be bolstered by the fact that Covington is a fellow southpaw, is now 35, and has not fought in 21 months. His last outing was a dominant decision win against an aged Jorge Masvidal – a friend-turned-rival – but Covington was dropped in that bout. The former interim champion was also dropped in his two defeats by Usman, losing via late TKO in 2019 and on points in 2021. In total, he has been dropped five times across three of his last four fights. And while Edwards does not hit as hard as Usman, his striking is much crisper, even eclipsing that of Masvidal.
Arguably, the likeliest route to victory for Edwards is a TKO as Covington lurches forward. Meanwhile, the worst-case scenario could be a fight in which he is overwhelmed and simply cannot get going or set his feet. The champion must also be disciplined; his recent fights have featured a point deduction in March, an accidental eye poke that led to a No Contest against Belal Muhammad in 2021, and a late scare in his win over Nate Diaz that year, when Edwards dominated but was rocked in the final minute.
All in all, composure will be key to Edwards cracking Covington’s code.
