“Will pick him apart” – Leon Edwards favored to triumph over Colby Covington in the main event of UFC 296 by Stephen Thompson

Stephen Thompson has given Leon Edwards the edge in his title bout against Colby Covington at UFC 296.

Edwards and Covington will face-off at the T-Mobile Arena on December 16 in the main event. 'Rocky' most recently defended the title in a trilogy bout against Kamaru Usman, whereas 'Chaos' hasn't stepped into the octagon since his victory over Jorge Masvidal in March 2022.

Ahead of the bout, fans and fighters have been casting their predictions. The general consensus among the MMA community is that Covington will look to use his relentless wrestling and pressure style to clinch rounds, whereas Edwards will have the major advantage in the standup.

Speaking at UFC 296 media day this week, Stephen Thompson also echoed that same sentiment.

According to 'Wonderboy', while he expects Colby Covington to take Leon Edwards down, he believes 'Rocky' will get back up and dominate on the feet. He said:

"I think he's [Covington] gonna be in Leon's face the entire time and I think he's going to try and tire him out. I do believe Leon's striking, he's also the bigger opponent as well so I think he's going to defend the takedowns a little bit easier...I think he'll be able to get to his feet and keep the fight standing and I think Leon will be pick him apart."

Catch Thompson's comments here (11:20):

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Dan Hardy expects Leon Edwards to "lose first two rounds" to Colby Covington

Dan Hardy has backed his compatriot to defeat Colby Covington at UFC 296, but he doesn't believe Leon Edwards will have it all his own way.

Hardy, who was speaking to Submission Radio, also landed in the camp of fans that think Covington is going to have early success in the fight due to his pressure fighting style.

Hardy, however, believes that his dominance will fade fast in the fight once he's being picked apart and slowed down by Edwards.

'The Outlaw' explained:

"I think Leon's going to do it, I think he'll defend his belt. It wouldn't surpised me if he loses the first two rounds. If he spends the first two rounds hand-fighting, clinch-fighting, and getting himself off the fence, eventually he'll start to land those short elbows and knees which will start to slow Colby down and make him hesitant to close the range."

Catch Dan Hardy's comments here (32:05):