UFC Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards secured his second title defense on Saturday against the always polarizing Colby Covington. And yet, the affair left far more questions than answers.
Covington, for one, did not seem present in the cage. The heavy wrestling pressure and unlimited cardio that defines his in-cage style was nowhere to be found. He looked hesitant to throw anything, tentatively avoiding any of the attacks from Edwards.
Edwards did not have much output himself, but he earned each round nonetheless. He battered the legs of Covington, went for submission attempts, and even scored a takedown on the NCAA Division I All-American wrestler. He earned a proper win, winning 4 rounds to Covington’s 1.
The champion did not strive to make it an exciting fight, but that is not his responsibility. The challenger, especially one who is competing for his third and most likely final chance at UFC gold, should be the aggressor in this situation. With this potentially being his last chance to achieve his lifelong goal, Covington’s particularly reserved and timid approach was just strange and out of character for him.
“I’ve had a long layoff, so I think the ring rust had to do with it,” said Covington, smiling as the crowd booed. “I feel great. It was an easy fight, I don’t have a scratch on me.”
The American crowd had been cheering profusely for Covington in the days leading up to the fight. They loved his antics during the press conference and ceremonial weigh-ins, controversial and headline-worthy per usual. Yet now, they booed in unison, disappointed in their countrymen’s lackluster performance.
Former President Donald Trump could not even be bothered to stay for the duration Covington’s post fight speech, leaving halfway through.
During the press conference, Covington made objectionable comments about Edwards’ late father, who was murdered when Edwards was just 13 years old. Going over the line of permissible trash talk in the fight game is not out of character for Covington - it’s something that he has done in many fights prior, such as making disparaging comments about former champion Kamaru Usman’s late manager Glenn Robinson.
The comments got a rise out of Edwards, who immediately went after his soon-to-be-foe. It divided the MMA fanbase over whether there is a line that can be crossed in the lead up to a fight.
As polarizing as Covington can be to the MMA fanbase, he could always be relied upon to bring a showcase of constant pressure and activity. His performances of years prior could only be described as relentless - the man appeared to be a machine that could not be stopped.
This fight was meant to test Edwards for his response to Covington’s pressure, but Covington appeared to be a shell of his former self in what turned out to be a relatively uneventful fight.
To make such deplorable comments about his opponent's father, all to show up and hardly perform at all, was a terrible route for Covington to take.
Had he made such comments to successfully distract Edwards from his gameplan and win the belt, all would have been forgotten. The new welterweight champion would have been more popular than ever, and his deplorable comments would have been left in the past.
And yet, the display of hesitancy and fear was simply embarrassing. Even Covington's supporters have seemingly turned their back on the 3 time title challenger.
At 35 years of age and his chances of winning a title behind him, Covington's future is unclear. His callout of Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson, a fun striker who has a particular lack of wrestling defense, is not a desirable fight for the fans nor the promotion.
Considering that Covington has a stunning zero wins over currently ranked welterweights, it seems that the time has come for him to face fair competition. No more bouts against fighters who have reached the tail end of their careers. Covington's skills must be truly tested against a rising welterweight contender if he plans to keep fighting at an elite level.