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The UFC 296 pay-per-view event is in the books, and Leon Edwards is still the welterweight champion. 'Rocky' defeated Colby Covington via unanimous decision to retain the title.
Heading into the event, Edwards was a slight betting favorite over the underdog challenger. Although there was no personal beef between the fighters before the fight was announced, Covington seemed to have gotten on the champion's nerves with his trademark trash-talk.
Whether Covington's verbal attacks would impact Edwards' performance was the burning question heading into the fight. However, it had little impact on the actual fight as 'Rocky' showed up on point, putting in his best effort to win the contest.
Covington, who is known for being a pressure fighter, started uncharacteristically slow, allowing Leon Edwards to take the center of the cage. The champion launched measured attacks in the first round to figure out his range and establish his dominance in the cage.
Despite being a southpaw, Edwards assumed the orthodox stance and chopped Covington's lead leg with repeated leg-kicking attacks. By round two, the Brit's leg kicks had a visible impact on Covington's movement, which made a huge impact on the rest of the fight.
Edwards employed effective feints and careful set-ups, never allowing 'Chaos' to land meaningful grappling or striking attacks. As a result, the fight steadily moved in Edwards' direction as the rounds passed.
Colby Covington did his best work in the championship rounds and made the fight extremely competitive. However, Leon Edwards had done enough by the time Covington started having success. 'Chaos' finished the fight strong but it was Edwards who walked away with a unanimous decision (49-46 X 3).
The win marked the second title defense of Leon Edwards' reign after he ascended to the throne with a brutal head-kick knockout of former champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 278 in August 2022. He defeated Usman at UFC 286 to ensure the title remained in the UK. The win over Covington extends his undefeated streak to 13 UFC fights (12 wins, 1 no-contest).
