Leon Edwards Does It Again: How Will The Champ Fair Against Colby Covington?

I’ll admit it–I was wrong. I thought Usman would come out and prove to us all again that he was that champ. The one that was untouchable, very reminiscent of GSP, and especially reminiscent of GSP if he avenged his win over Edwards.

Well, it didn’t work out that way.

Edwards looked incredible at UFC 286, doing things to Usman that we’ve never seen done before. He was snuffing takedowns, tagging him with jabs, obliterating his legs, and landing some solid, solid blows.

All in all, Edwards looked untouchable–but can he be a solid welterweight champ?

Who’s Next For Leon Edwards?

Well, it didn’t take long for Dana White to set up Leon’s next fight. Almost immediately after Leon defended his belt, White announced that Colby Covington would be next in line for a title shot.

While this upset many, I think it’s the fight to make. Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal are locked up in a bout of their own on April 8th, and Khamzat Chimaev is…well… a bit of a wild card.

The only other name that really sticks out in the top five is Belal Muhammad, who really could’ve fought Covington in a #1 contender bout. However, since Dana went ahead and made the fight between ‘Rocky’ and ‘Chaos’ already, Belal is left on the outside looking in.

Anyway, his name has been tossed out there with the likes of Shavkat Rakhmonov in an upcoming bout, which will surely make for a banger.

Leon Edwards vs Colby Covington Prediction

DraftKings Sportsbook currently has the odds for a possible Edwards/Covington match as follows:

Leon Edwards -120

Colby Covington +100

Honestly, those odds track. Seeing as how Colby has lost to Usman twice, who has, in turn, lost to Edwards twice, it makes sense that the Champ is the favorite.

However, I see the fight a bit differently…

The Usman that just fought Edwards on Saturday was a different fighter than the one we had seen face off against Covington. He seemed tentative, nervous, and, frankly, a bit slow.

He barely relied on his wrestling and was almost oblivious to Leon’s leg kicks.

Covington is a bit more of a defensive fighter than Usman, and has shown his confidence in his wrestling in marquee fights–just look at what he did to Masvidal. Covington has also shown some prowess in his striking, as you could see in his 2019 victory over Robbie Lawler.

This just feels like a fight that Covington wins–and I would place that bet now before the line has a chance to move.