It’s hard to determine their strength on paper. But Leon Edwards is clearly taller than his upcoming opponent Colby Covington. Standing at 6’2”, Leon Edwards has a 2” advantage over Covington (6’0”) in height.
Moreover, Leon Edwards has a 74” reach in response to Colby Covington’s reach of 72”. Hence, ‘Rocky’ will relish some serious privilege over ‘Chaos’ under the physical parameters of the bout. Leon Edwards is also a Southpaw while Colby Covington is an orthodox.
This major stylistic difference can play a pivotal role in the UFC 296 main-event. Orthodox fighters tend to face trouble competing against southpaws. Although this notion has been proven wrong in umpteen cases, Edwards can still cause problems for Colby Covington. Here’s a comparison of how their performance has been inside the octagon.
Also Read | UFC 296 Weigh-In Date: When Will Leon Edwards and Colby Covington Hit The Weighing Scale?
Does Leon Edwards Have a Stronger Resume Than Colby Covington?
21-3 (1-NC) as a professional, Leon Edwards is the undisputed welterweight champion in UFC with one successful tile defense so far. On the contrary, Colby Covington holds a pro record of 17-3 and has never been a UFC champion till now. Hence, Edwards clearly has a better record than ‘Chaos’. Colby Covington has lost twice to Kamaru Usman. Although both times he could offer a tough-fight, it wasn’t enough to beat ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ for the welterweight belt.
Meanwhile, ‘Rocky’ Edwards has fought Kamaru Usman thrice. After losing in 2015 against Usman, Edwards is yet to lose again. he earned the 170 lbs gold by knocking Kamaru Usman out at UFC 278 in a massive upset. Edwards then defended the belt on his home turn t UFC 286 against Usman, winning on the judges’ score card.
He has been much ore active and successful than Colby Covington in the past few years. It’s been more than year since Covington has fought. After two consecutive losses against Usman, he beat an aging Jorge Masvidal in March 2022. Nevertheless, Masvidal wrongly attacked Chaos after their fight on a street, leaving ‘Chaos’ with some injuries.
Upon returning, he has got his third title shot immediately. It remains to be seen whether Colby Covington can utilise this oppurtunity and earn the belt or end up losing to Leon Edwards.
