"Which was stupid" - Ex-UFC star identifies weakness in Leon Edwards' performance against Colby Covington

UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards was succesful in his second title defense against Colby Covington at UFC 296, winning via unanimous decision.

Former UFC veteran Mike Perry discussed the performances of the two headliners in an interview with The Schmo. He spoke about Edwards employing the right approach and tactics throughout the fight, except during the closing stages of the fight.

Perry highlighted the action in the final round, when Colby Covington took 'Rocky' down and held him for two minutes in half guard:

“We saw Leon [Edwards] be smart. We saw Colby [Covington] be, so like- he didn’t do anything, he didn’t try and then you know, I’m a little… I’m like, 'Damn bro, how do you give this guy the last two minutes of the fight? Like, Leon got caught up in a bad position at the end, Colby was on top and he just held that position. And you let that guy sit on top of you for the last two minutes, and yes, Leon won every moment of the fight until the last two minutes, which was stupid and, you know, respect to the champ but all the fights were boring.”

Mike Perry also expressed his disappointment in the rest of fights on the card.

Check out Mike Perry's full comments below (2:32):

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Joe Rogan questions Leon Edwards for 'ego-based decisions' in UFC 296 fight

UFC commentator Joe Rogan was baffled by Leon Edwards approach, which saw him choose to engage with Colby Covington on the ground.

Rogan made mention of the last two minutes of the fight and Edwards' superiority while standing as something the champion did not utilize:

“What was interesting is that he made choices tonight that were not the best choices to win the fight, but almost like to prove a point. Like, he chose to engage Colby in grappling in moments where he did not have to, where he could have defended and got back up to his feet. I think that would be a better path to victory, where he could have completely dominated the fight, absolutely dominated it.”

Rogan continued:

“[Edwards] found himself on the bottom at the end of the fight getting punched by Colby, which really didn’t have to happen. That’s not the way you wanna see a guy who’s as good as Leon Edwards fight. You don’t want to seem him make ego-based decisions when you don’t have to, especially when he’s so superior standing up.”

Check out Joe Rogan's comments in the post-fight commentary: