UFC 296 Results: Colby Covington Turns in All-Time Abysmal Title Performance

Leon “Rocky” Edwards cruised to victory late Saturday in Las Vegas at UFC 296 to retain his undisputed welterweight belt.

Edwards defeated a lackluster Colby Covington, whose fighting nickname is “chaos” but should now be “snoozefest” after the performance. Fans were the ultimate losers as the challenger never initiated any serious offense over the five-round fight.

Still, Edwards looked poised and technical in victory, battering Covington’s leg with kicks and twice threatening Covington with a submission.

Covington made a widely condemned comment about Edwards’ late father during a press conference ahead of the fight but couldn’t bring the real heat inside the UFC Octagon. 

Covington, 35, falls to 0-3 lifetime in title fights, while Edwards, 32, has now defended his belt twice. Fortunately for the sport, it’s unlikely Covington will receive another unwarranted title shot again. He had no win streak heading into UFC 296 and hadn’t fought since early 2022.

He received the opportunity thanks to his infamy and apparent support from former U.S. President Donald Trump, who was cageside Saturday and talked briefly with Covington immediately before the fight.

In the post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White said Covington “looked slow and old tonight.” Trump left the arena in the middle of Covington’s post-fight speech.

DraftKings Sportsbook reported a $40,000 moneyline wager on Edwards (-155 odds) that cashed. However, the sportsbook reported that 62% of the moneyline handle was on Covington. Edwards’ win was the preferred ML outcome for DraftKings.

The betting site reported a $10,000 wager on Covington (+136) that lost.

The fight opened roughly 50-50, with Edwards closing as a -165 favorite. Edwards was +150 to win by decision, and the fight going the distance was a -175 betting odds favorite.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images