Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington was an MMA fight promoted and organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). This fight took place as the main event of UFC 296 on December 16, 2023. The fight was a 5-round clash with Leon 'Rocky' Edwards defending his title successfully.
Leon Edwards, the current welterweight champion, defended the title for the first time at UFC 286 in the trilogy fight against Kamaru Usman. As for Colby Covington, he was coming off a long hiatus and hasn’t fought in the UFC octagon since March 2022. Covington’s last bout was against his former teammate Jorge ‘Gamebred’ Masvidal. Covington walked away as the winner of this bout via a unanimous decision.
Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington Tale of the Tape
Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards squared off against Colby ‘Chaos’ Covington for the first time at UFC 296. This event took place on December 16, 2023, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Leon Edwards won the fight via a unanimous decision.
Leon Edwards currently holds a record of 22 wins, 3 losses, and 1 no-contest (22-3-0 (1NC)), with 7 victories coming in the form of a knockout, 3 via submission, and 12 wins by decision. On the other hand, Edwards’ opponent, Colby Covington, maintains a professional MMA record of 17 wins with 4 losses to his name (17-4-0). Covington has won 4 times via submission, 4 times by knockout, and 9 times via the judges decision. Covington’s losses are against Kamaru Usman twice, Warlley Alves, and Leon Edwards.
Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington Stats
| Stats | Leon Edwards | Colby Covington |
| MMA Record | 22-3-0 (1NC) | 17-4-0 |
| UFC Ranking (Welterweight) | Champion | 3 |
| Last Fight | Win | Win |
| Nationality | English | American |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) |
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg) | 170 lb (77 kg) |
| Reach | 74 in | 72 in |
| Leg Reach | 43 in | 41 in |
| Striking Accuracy | 53% | 39% |
| Takedown Accuracy | 33% | 45% |
| Takedown Defense | 69% | 72% |
| Win Streak (Active) | 4 | 0 |
| MMA Debut | 2011 | 2012 |
Leon Edwards Record
Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards boasts an impressive MMA record of 22 wins to 3 losses and 1 no-contest (22-3-0 (1NC)). Edwards’ only losses were against Kamaru Usman, Claudio Silva, and Delroy McDowell. At UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad on March 13, 2021, Edwards accidentally eye-poked Belal Muhammad, resulting in the only no-contest in Rocky’s career.
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location |
| Win | 22-3 (1) | Colby Covington | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 296 | 17 December 2023 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |
| Win | 21–3 (1) | Kamaru Usman | Decision (majority) | UFC 286 | 18 March 2023 | 5 | 5:00 | London, England |
| Win | 20–3 (1) | Kamaru Usman | KO (head kick) | UFC 278 | 20 August 2022 | 5 | 4:04 | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States |
| Win | 19–3 (1) | Nate Diaz | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 263 | 12 June 2021 | 5 | 5:00 | Glendale, Arizona, United States |
| NC | 18–3 (1) | Belal Muhammad | NC (accidental eye poke) | UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad | 13 March 2021 | 2 | 0:18 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |
| Win | 18–3 | Rafael dos Anjos | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: dos Anjos vs. Edwards | 20 July 2019 | 5 | 5:00 | San Antonio, Texas, United States |
| Win | 17–3 | Gunnar Nelson | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Till vs. Masvidal | 16 March 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England |
| Win | 16–3 | Donald Cerrone | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Edwards | 23 June 2018 | 5 | 5:00 | Kallang, Singapore |
| Win | 15–3 | Peter Sobotta | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Volkov | 17 March 2018 | 3 | 4:59 | London, England |
| Win | 14–3 | Bryan Barberena | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Struve | 2 September 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| Win | 13–3 | Vicente Luque | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Manuwa vs. Anderson | 18 March 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England |
| Win | 12–3 | Albert Tumenov | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 204 | 8 October 2016 | 3 | 3:01 | Manchester, England |
| Win | 11–3 | Dominic Waters | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Arlovski | 8 May 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| Loss | 10–3 | Kamaru Usman | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on Fox: dos Anjos vs. Cowboy 2 | 19 December 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Orlando, Florida, United States |
| Win | 10–2 | Pawel Pawlak | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Leites | 18 July 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Glasgow, Scotland |
| Win | 9–2 | Seth Baczynski | KO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Gonzaga vs. Cro Cop 2 | 11 April 2015 | 1 | 0:08 | Kraków, Poland |
| Loss | 8–2 | Cláudio Silva | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Saint Preux | 8 November 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Uberlândia, Brazil |
| Win | 8–1 | Shaun Taylor | KO (punch) | BAMMA 16 | 13 September 2014 | 3 | 3:30 | Manchester, England |
| Win | 7–1 | Wayne Murrie | Submission (rear-naked choke) | BAMMA 15 | 5 May 2014 | 3 | 3:13 | London, England |
| Win | 6–1 | Wendle Lewis | KO (punches) | BAMMA 14 | 14 December 2013 | 1 | 1:20 | Birmingham, England |
| Win | 5–1 | Adam Boussif | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | BAMMA 13 | 13 September 2013 | 1 | 2:10 | Birmingham, England |
| Win | 4–1 | Jonathan Bilton | TKO (knees) | BAMMA 11 | 1 December 2012 | 2 | 1:11 | Birmingham, England |
| Win | 3–1 | Craig White | Technical Decision | SAH 14: Strength And Honour 14 | 3 November 2012 | 2 | 5:00 | Exeter, England |
| Loss | 2–1 | Delroy McDowell | DQ (illegal knee) | Fight UK MMA: Fight UK 6 | 25 February 2012 | 3 | 2:40 | Leicester, England |
| Win | 2–0 | Pawel Zwiefka | Decision (unanimous) | Fight UK MMA: Fight UK 5 | 19 November 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Leicester, England |
| Win | 1–0 | Damian Zlotnicki | TKO (punches) | Fight UK MMA: Fight UK 4 | 5 June 2011 | 1 | 2:15 | Leicester, England |
Colby Covington Record
Colby ‘Chaos’ Covington maintains a great professional MMA record of 17 wins to 4 losses in 20 fights (17-4-0). Covington made his UFC debut in 2014 and currently holds a UFC record of 12 wins and 4 losses in 16 appearances.
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location |
| Loss | 17-4 | Leon Edwards | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 296 | 17 December 2023 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |
| Win | 17–3 | Jorge Masvidal | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 272 | March 5, 2022 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |
| Loss | 16–3 | Kamaru Usman | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 268 | November 6, 2021 | 5 | 5:00 | New York City, New York, United States |
| Win | 16–2 | Tyron Woodley | TKO (rib injury) | UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley | September 19, 2020 | 5 | 1:19 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |
| Loss | 15–2 | Kamaru Usman | TKO (punches) | UFC 245 | December 14, 2019 | 5 | 4:10 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |
| Win | 15–1 | Robbie Lawler | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Covington vs. Lawler | August 3, 2019 | 5 | 5:00 | Newark, New Jersey, United States |
| Win | 14–1 | Rafael dos Anjos | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 225 | June 9, 2018 | 5 | 5:00 | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Win | 13–1 | Demian Maia | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Machida | October 28, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | São Paulo, Brazil |
| Win | 12–1 | Dong Hyun Kim | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Correia | June 17, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Kallang, Singapore |
| Win | 11–1 | Bryan Barberena | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on Fox: VanZant vs. Waterson | December 17, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Sacramento, California, United States |
| Win | 10–1 | Max Griffin | TKO (punches) | UFC 202 | August 20, 2016 | 3 | 2:18 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |
| Win | 9–1 | Jonathan Meunier | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Thompson | June 18, 2016 | 3 | 0:54 | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Loss | 8–1 | Warlley Alves | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC 194 | December 12, 2015 | 1 | 1:26 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |
| Win | 8–0 | Mike Pyle | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 187 | May 23, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |
| Win | 7–0 | Wagner Silva | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Saint Preux | November 8, 2014 | 3 | 3:26 | Uberlândia, Brazil |
| Win | 6–0 | Wang Anying | TKO (submission to punches) | UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Le | August 23, 2014 | 1 | 4:50 | Macau, SAR, China |
| Win | 5–0 | Jay Ellis | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Absolute Fighting Championship 21: The Return | May 16, 2014 | 1 | 2:49 | Hollywood, Florida, United States |
| Win | 4–0 | Jose Caceres | Decision (unanimous) | Championship Fighting Alliance 12 | October 12, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Coral Gables, Florida, United States |
| Win | 3–0 | Jason Jackson | Decision (unanimous) | Fight Time 10: It's Personal | June 22, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States |
| Win | 2–0 | David Hayes | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Fight Time 9: MMA Explosion | April 27, 2012 | 2 | 1:42 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States |
| Win | 1–0 | Chris Ensley | TKO (submission to knee injury) | Midtown Throwdown 3 | February 11, 2012 | 1 | 1:21 | Eugene, Oregon, United States |
FAQs
A. Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington took place on December 16, 2023, as the main event of UFC 296.
A. Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington commenced at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States.
A. Leon Edwards holds an MMA record of 22-3-0 (1NC) and is currently the UFC Welterweight champion.
A. Colby Covington holds a respectable record of 17 wins to 4 losses (17-4-0).
A. Leon Edwards is 32 years of age as of 2023.
