December 17, (THEWILL) – Leon “Rocky” Edwards retained his UFC welterweight championship early on Sunday morning, defeating American fighter Colby “Chaos” Covington via unanimous decision at UFC 296 in Las Vegas. Edwards controlled the five-round fight with superior striking and several key takedowns, surprising many observers with his dominance over the normally aggressive Covington.
The Birmingham native set the tone early, aggressively stalking Covington in the first round instead of vice versa. Covington circled cautiously as Edwards scored with kicks to the legs and body. The challenger showed brief signs of life with a third round takedown, but Edwards quickly reversed him with a takedown of his own to regain momentum.
Edwards’ game plan to chop at Covington’s lead leg paid dividends as the fight wore on, visibly compromising his mobility. Meanwhile, Covington failed to mount any significant offense over 25 minutes. Covington’s uncharacteristically passive approach, made his challenge an overall poor performance that required a more to win.
On the other hand, with his second straight defence, Edwards extends his phenomenal unbeaten streak to 11 straight fights. The lone blemish in that stretch came versus Belal Muhammad in 2021, ruled a no contest. A rematch with Muhammad could be next for Edwards, but surging contenders like Shavkat Rakhmonov also loom.
Regardless of his next challenge, Edwards continues staking his claim as the UFC’s top welterweight fighter in the post-Kamaru Usman era. His back-to-back wins over Usman proved his championship mettle. Dominating an elite foe like Covington only further cements his status.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
