The UFC welterweight title takes center stage atop the promotion’s last event of 2023.

Leon Edwards aims to secure his second career title defense as the 170-pound champion at UFC 296 next month in Las Vegas. Awaiting him is a former two-time undisputed title challenger, Colby Covington.

“Chaos” heads into the matchup having been out of action since his unanimous decision win over Jorge Masvidal in March 2022. The win got Covington back to a .500 winning percentage in his past four fights (17-3 overall), alternating wins and losses. Ahead of Covington’s first title shot against the former champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 245 in December 2019, he’d strung together a solid seven-fight winning streak akin to Edwards’ nine (now 11 for Edwards). However, Covington finds what “Rocky” did and has done far less impressive than his own achievements.

“He had the right matchups at the right time to get to that point in his career,” Covington told UFC.com. “He fought a lightweight washout in Nate Diaz and sat out almost two years to get his title shot. I don’t think he warranted getting a title shot after beating that guy.

“He just cried, ‘I deserve this, I deserve that’, instead of just going out there and working for it or earning it like I did. I had to earn it the hard way. No one gave me this spot to fight for the undisputed title. I had to earn it. I had to go the unconventional way because the straight-ahead way wasn’t available. He didn’t earn it the hard way like I did, and December 16 he’s going to find out that he’s going to get broken by the American dream.”

During Covington’s hiatus, he’s been busy fighting outside of the octagon with his bitter rival Masvidal after being assaulted outside a Miami steakhouse later that same month they fought. Their legal battle recently concluded, allowing for each to move on.

Ultimately, Covington says his time away from competition hasn’t been without attempts at trying to return. The opponents offered just didn’t accept, according to him.

“You’re not going to see me crying or freaking out like I didn’t expect to do it,” Covington said. “I’m prepared and I know that I am the best fighter on planet Earth at welterweight in the UFC right now. It’s going to be like I expected it.

“This is not about the destination; it’s about the journey to me. I’ve had a great journey and I’ve developed a lot. No one has seen what I’ve been doing and how hard I’ve been working every single day with the blood, sweat, and tears I’ve put in. December 16, the world is in for a rude awakening. All my haters are going to be so salty.

“This sitting out bulls*** has been tough because I’ve wanted to fight,” he continued. “Every fight I’ve accepted. Against Khamzat Chimaev, Dustin Poirier, and some other guys in the division that the UFC were trying to match up, but they didn’t want to fight. It just made me hungrier and it made me realize how much I love this sport. I don’t feel alive until I’m in that UFC octagon. That’s when I feel the most alive in my life and I feel like that’s the true meaning.”

The MMA math between Edwards and Covington is simple with their experiences in multiple outings against Usman. “The Nigerian Nightmare” scored an early unanimous decision win over Edwards in December 2015 before falling short in his recent two collisions with the Brit last year and this past March. Covington, on the other hand, first suffered a fifth-round TKO in the aforementioned UFC 245 bout before losing a unanimous decision in their rematch at UFC 268 in November 2021.

Even though Edwards did what Covington couldn’t to become champion, “Chaos” believes that if it wasn’t for his efforts, Edwards wouldn’t be in his current position.

“My initial reaction was shock. I didn’t expect it to go like that, but I also realize that this is a sport like football, where you can land a Hail Mary, and that’s what happened,” Covington said of Edwards knocking out Usman at UFC 278. “He was losing the whole fight and in the last minute he landed his Hail Mary kick and it landed in the right spot. Usman made the wrong read and took his foot off the gas, and he paid the price.

“No doubt about it, I took the fight out of Usman. His chin was never the same and I’m the one that loosened up that chin. I head-kicked him and had him on wobbly legs, then he calls timeout. It’s not like Leon did something that I hadn’t already done.”

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VIDEO STEW

Fights We’re Thankful For.

Road to the Championship.

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LISTEN UP

DAMN! They Were Good. MMA Fighting reflects on if Brock Lesnar was the most athletic fighter in UFC history.

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MORNING MUSIC

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SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Steak.

Rosters.

Throwback.

And new.

Stamp.

Flight.

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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Jalin Turner (13-7) vs. Bobby Green (31-14, 1 NC); UFC Austin, Dec. 2

Jack Hermansson (23-8) vs. Joe Pyfer (12-2); UFC Vegas 85, Feb. 10

Pedro Munhoz (20-8, 2 NC) vs. Kyler Phillips (11-2); UFC 299, March 9

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FINAL THOUGHTS

I really look forward to hearing from Covington when he fully drops the act in like 20 years.

Happy Friday, gang. Enjoy PFL if you watch. If you happen to be here in D.C. with me, come say hi! Thanks for reading!

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EXIT POLL

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