Leon Edwards

ANALYSIS
Edwards will head into his third title defense riding an impressive 12-fight win streak dating all the way back to 2016. Edwards and Muhammad previously faced off in 2021, with the bout resulting in a No Contest following an eye poke from Edwards at the start of the second round. Edwards will head into the fight holding both size and reach advantages over the smaller American, though Muhammad will certainly be no easy task for the current champion.

ANALYSIS
Almost everyone felt this would be a difficult title defense for Edwards. Covington would attempt to push the pace and use his wrestling game, and Leon would have to be on point in order to walk out of the T-Mobile Arena with his title. Well, the last part materialized, but the former couldn't be further from the truth. Colby stood around for the vast majority of the fight and allowed Edwards to pick him apart on the feet. Leon was the longer man and much crisper striker. The stand-up exchanges between the two were not close. Edwards got right back to his feet after being dragged to the mat in Round 3. The only other time he was taken down was in Round 5, when the fight was long over. It remains to be seen how long Leon will be able to hold onto the title, but this is going to go down as arguably his easiest championship defense. Belal Muhammad is probably next in line for Edwards at 170 pounds. The two fought in March 2021, with the fight going to a no-contest following an accidental eye poke early in Round 2. All of the things we thought Colby would bring to the table -- pace, cardio, wrestling -- figure to be on the table once against in a Muhammad fight.

ANALYSIS
Edwards defeated Kamaru Usman in March to become the UFC welterweight champion and will look to defend his position against Covington at UFC 296. Covington hasn't entered the ring since his unanimous decision win over Jorge Masvidal in March of 2022 but he'll have an opportunity to prove himself as the best fighter in the welterweight division.

ANALYSIS
Unbelievable. Edwards had no business winning the fight between the two seven months ago which originally earned him the title, having been dominated the entire bout until a miracle head kick in the closing seconds knocked Usman out cold. He put forth a much more complete effort in this one. Perhaps it was because he was fighting in his native England, or perhaps it was because he simply picked up some tells after so much time in the Octagon with his opponent. Edwards landed the more effective and damaging strikes throughout the course of the fight. He did allow Usman to land four more takedowns, but Edwards, for the most part, didn't let Kamaru control the pace of the fight on the mat even when in a compromising position. The only reasons the scorecards appeared as close as they were was because referee Herb Dean (correctly) docked Edwards a point in Round 3 for an illegal fence grab which prevented a takedown. It's difficult to envision a scenario in which Leon could have put forth a better performance. Colby Covington -- who was in attendance -- may be the biggest winner of this result, as he seems likely to be next in line for a title shot, something he likely wouldn't have received if Usman had retained the gold.

ANALYSIS
UFC president Dana White confirmed that the trilogy between the two elite fighters will conclude in London. When Edwards and Usman last matched up Aug. 20, Edwards scored a knockout win over Usman in the fifth round to complete an epic comeback.