Leon Edwards is confident of finishing things inside the distance.
UFC Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards is gearing up for the second defense of his title, and he thinks this weekend’s challenger is simply “too careless” to last five rounds with him.
Leon Edwards will share the Octagon with former interim champion Colby Covington in Saturday’s UFC 296 pay-per-view main event. The card will mark the promotion’s final lineup of 2023, and it’ll go down inside Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.
For the champ, the December 16 headliner marks the chance for him to extend his reign into a third calendar year, having won the belt with a last-gasp head kick KO of Kamaru Usman in 2022.
And having defended the belt against “The Nigerian Nightmare” this past March at UFC 286, Edwards has another wrestling specialist to deal with in a few days’ time.
But despite some believing that Covington poses even more challenges, “Rocky” is expecting to make quick work of “Chaos.”
Leon Edwards: Colby Covington ‘Too Careless’ For Someone Like Me
During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Edwards looked ahead to his upcoming second assignment of 2023 and assessed the man who will await him inside the cage come fight night.
When asked how he sees the main event contest playing out, the Jamaica-born Brit predicted that he’ll find a finish in either the second or third round. While much is being made of the challenger’s cardio and relentless pressure, Edwards is vowing to prove that his MMA skillset is simply superior.
“I see him starting fast, like he always does,” Edwards said. “I think I stop him in round two or three. Either by knocking him out or submission. I feel like he’s just too careless in the way he competes. He’s too careless for someone like me. I’m just way better than him, and I truly believe that.
“I know he’s banking on just charging forward, but there’s more to fighting than that. I will show him that,” Leon Edwards added.
The reigning welterweight kingpin will hope to prove his words correct this weekend, when his second title defense follows a number of intriguing bouts on the UFC 296 lineup.
In addition to another championship bout in the form of Alexandre Pantoja vs. Brandon Royval, the likes of Stephen Thompson, Ian Garry, Paddy Pimblett, Tony Ferguson, Bryce Mitchell, and Cody Garbrandt will all make the walk.
