Leon Edwards Puts Welterweight Belt On The Line Vs Colby Covington In UFC 296 – News18

LAS VEGAS: The final UFC pay-per-view card of the yr takes place Saturday, and welterweight champion Leon Edwards mentioned the person attempting to take his belt doesn’t should be within the octagon that night time.

Edwards pointed to the fights already misplaced by the third-ranked challenger Colby Covington, most notably falling brief in two earlier pictures on the belt. But, Edwards acknowledged, that may imply little this weekend at UFC 296.

“We’re here now and all that matters is Saturday night, going out there and taking him out,” Edwards mentioned. “I’m focused fully on that. Whether he deserves it or not doesn’t matter because he’s fighting anyway for the belt and that’s my aim.”

Covington, sporting a jacket with “Make America Great Again” on its sleeves and a photograph of former President Donald Trump on the again, made certain to get Edwards’ consideration on the pre-struggle information convention.

He questioned the champ’s intelligence and coronary heart, and mentioned the Jamaican-born Edwards (21-3) who grew up within the United Kingdom insulted British followers by not taking this struggle on English soil.

The 35-yr-previous Covington (17-3) mentioned he regarded ahead to Trump, who is predicted to attend, placing the championship belt round his waist after the struggle.

“It’s going to be a spectacle,” Covington mentioned. “It doesn’t matter who they put in there Saturday night. They could put the Hulk in there Saturday night, and nobody’s beating me in front of Donald Trump.”

Edwards, 32, didn’t seem to take any bait from the insults Covington hurled his approach, chalking a lot of it as much as pre-struggle hype.

“Everyone knows he’s playing like a character,” Edwards mentioned. “It’s easier to take someone like that as a joke. That’s what I’m able to do, take it as it is. He’s a clown and I’m going to treat him as such.”

As for Covington the fighter, Edwards identified he has misplaced a number of methods — submission, technical knockout, unanimous resolution.

“He’s not as good as everyone thinks,” Edwards mentioned. “He’s a normal fighter that’s more scrappy, basically. Me and the team came up with a great game plan to neutralize what he’s good at, and my aim is to go in there and take him out.”

Covington will enter the octagon for the primary time since March 5, 2022, a unanimous resolution over Jorge Masvidal. This is just his fifth bout since 2019.

“I’m not the same fighter I was the last time I stepped in the octagon,” Covington mentioned. “Saturday night, you’re going to see a completely different version of myself, and I’m going to out-class Leon. I’m going to bring out the dog in me, and I’m going to bring out the quitter in Leon.”

The flyweight title is on the road within the co-primary occasion between champion Alexandre Pantoja (26-5) of Brazil and second-ranked challenger Brandon Royval (15-6) of Denver.

The two met Aug. 21, 2021, with Pantoja choking out Royval within the second spherical. But Royval then gained three consecutive fights, the final two within the first spherical, to arrange the rematch.

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AP sports activities: https://apnews.com/sports

(This story has not been edited by News18 workers and is printed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)