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Leon Edwards vs Colby Covington Preview & Picks – Edwards To Retain Title At UFC 296
- Leon Edwards vs Colby Covington picks for Saturday, December 16
- UFC 296 is taking place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
- Preview, predictions, stats & form
- Leon Edwards vs Colby Covington Preview & Picks
- Leon Edwards Form
- Colby Covington Form
Leon Edwards vs Colby Covington Preview & Picks
Leon Edwards vs Colby Covington Preview & Picks
Leon Edwards is tipped to retain the title by decision.
Edwards is the more accurate striker and has good enough grapping to keep the fight standing.
And in the event that Colby Covington does get him down, ‘Rocky’ is a tough man to hold down.
- Leon Edwards is unbeaten in 12 fights
- 7 of Leon Edwards’ last 9 wins have been by decision
- Colby Covington has lost 2 of his last 4 fights
- 7 of Covington’s last 9 fights have gone the distance
Leon Edwards Form
Leon Edwards is the current UFC welterweight champion with a record of 21-3 (7 KOs, 3 Subs) with 1 No Contest.
Edwards lost a couple of fights early into his UFC tenure, but has not tasted defeat since a decision defeat to Kamaru Usman in December 2015.
He rebounded from that loss with a decision win against Dominic Walters, and after tapping out Albert Tumenov he recorded further points wins against Vicente Luque and Bryan Barberena.
‘Rocky’ then knocked out Peter Sobotta in the third round, before registering decision wins over Donald Cerrone, Gunnar Nelson and Rafael dos Anjos.
Edwards’ eight-fight win streak finally came to an end in his next outing, but he did not lose the fight.
His bout with Belal Muhammad in March 2021 was ruled a no contest after an accidental eye poke left Muhammad unable to carry on.
Edwards got back to winning ways a couple of months later, besting Nate Diaz on points, and that victory sealed his shot at the UFC welterweight title.
The 32-year-old took his big chance in shocking fashion, knocking out Kamaru Usman with a head kick with less than a minute left on the clock.
He then retained the title in the rematch back in March, this time beating Usman by majority decision.
Colby Covington Form
Colby Covington is the #3 ranked welterweight contender with a record of 17-3 (4 KOs, 4 Subs).
Covington debuted in the UFC back in 2014 and reeled off three consecutive wins before being tapped out by Warlley Alves.
He bounced back from that with an impressive win streak though, surging into title contention between 2016 and 2018.
‘Chaos’ tapped out Jonathan Meunier in the third round to get the run going, and followed up that win with a third-round knockout of Max Griffin.
Covington then reeled off three consecutive decision wins to earn an interim title shot, beating Bryan Barberena, Dong Hyun Kim and Demian Maia along the way.
He claimed the interim belt by registering a decision win over Rafael dos Anjos in June 2018, only to be stripped of the belt due to injury shortly afterwards.
The 35-year-old did not fight again for 14 months, but when he did return he made up for lost time by claiming a decision win over former champion Robbie Lawler.
That secured Covington a shot at the title, but he was beaten up and knocked out by Kamaru Usman in December 2019.
He rebounded quickly with a TKO win against Tyron Woodley, earning another title fight with Usman, and although he did hear the final bell, he lost that bout on points.
Covington bounced back from that loss with a decision win over Jorge Masvidal in March 2022, but he has not fought since then.
Verdict
Colby Covington likes to bully and overwhelm his opponents, but that is unlikely to work here.
Leon Edwards is a big welterweight with good grapping and accurate striking, so we expect him to outpoint ‘Chaos’ over five rounds.
Leon Edwards is a big welterweight with good grapping and accurate striking, so we expect him to outpoint ‘Chaos’ over five rounds.
Leon Edwards
Winner
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Edwards by Decision
Method of Victory
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Sign up with the code NEWBONUS. When you verify your account get 25 Stake Cash for free PLUS 250,000 Gold Coins and 5% Rakeback! No deposit required. Login each day for the next 30 days and get an additional 30 Stake Cash AND 300,000 Gold Coins. 21+ only. T&Cs apply. Excludes WA, NY, NV, ID, KY, MI, VT, NJ, DE, WV, PA, RI & MD.
See also
- Alexandre Pantoja vs Brandon Royval Preview & Picks – Pantoja To Win Royval Rematch At UFC 296
- How To Watch UFC 296: Edwards vs Covington Live Stream
- Irene Aldana vs Karol Rosa - Get Double Winnings If Aldana Wins By Stoppage At UFC 296
- Leon Edwards vs Colby Covington - Get Double Winnings If Your Pick Wins By Stoppage At UFC 296
- Alexandre Pantoja vs Brandon Royval - Get Double Winnings If Royval Wins By Stoppage At UFC 296
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