Leon Edwards reminded the world that he is the welterweight king of MMA against Colby Covington. Alexandre Pantoja cruised in his title defense against Brandon Royval, while Josh Emmett proved how devastatingly powerful he can be. Marc Raimondi and Jeff Wagenheim highlight the biggest takeaways from the final UFC event of 2023.
Many MMA fans spent the past couple of days horrified and outraged by Colby Covington's classless reference to Leon Edwards' deceased father at Thursday's UFC 296 news conference. But Edwards left that low blow behind in the dark past and kept his focus on Saturday's fight, when he knew he would have an opportunity to have the last word.
And did he ever. Edwards dominated Covington for five rounds to earn a clear unanimous decision and retain his welterweight championship.
In the end, Edwards was the one getting cheers at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and Covington was roundly booed -- which was the opposite of how the fans had greeted the two fighters as they walked out for the main event.
But the fans had just watched Edwards control the fight the whole way, not just in the standup but even in some grappling exchanges. Covington, a wrestling-first cardio machine whose striking is rudimentary at best, never threatened to swing the fight his way. He was just 2 of 10 on takedowns, and Edwards had the same number of takedowns in only three tries. That was a humiliating comeuppance.
The challenger did spend the last minute or so in top position on the canvas, but it was telling that he did not take any chances to try for a finish. By then, Covington had to know he was behind on the scorecards, so this passive final minute was a clear indication that "Chaos" just didn't want to get shut out. He did eke out one round on all three judges' cards -- but that was it for him.
When the final horn sounded, both men stood and raised their arms: Covington with his usual delusion, Edwards with the self-assurance of a job well done.
This makes 13 fights in a row without a defeat for the champ. When Edwards won the belt in the summer of 2022, he was interviewed in the Octagon and yelled into the microphone, "Look at me now!" It was his way of releasing his frustrations at so often being overlooked.
That has continued to plague Edwards. This weekend's focus had largely been on Covington and his tired villain act. The champ was the B-side.
That changed on fight night, when Edwards walked the walk while Covington fell flat on his face in his third crack at the welterweight title. The UFC, at times, can show favoritism for a fighter it believes can move the proverbial needle, but Covington owns zero victories over anyone in the promotion's official welterweight top 15. This performance may finally convince the brass that this guy is all (crass) talk.
As for Edwards, perhaps he may finally get the acknowledgement that has evaded him, despite the two wins over all-time great Kamaru Usman and a dominant showing against starry Nate Diaz. The man showed Saturday that he is a true champ. -- Jeff Wagenheim
Pantoja's brilliance offers stability at men's flyweight
Alexandre Pantoja retains the flyweight title with a dominant decision win vs. Brandon Royval.
Raimondi: The UFC's flyweight division is more exciting, better and deeper than ever. The one thing it has lacked is stability. Not that it's a bad thing. Demetrious Johnson's long and, at times, mundane title run (not his fault) has given way to one of the most exciting top divisions in the sport. It seems now, though, that the UFC has a flyweight champion that can have a long reign with the belt in Alexandre Pantoja.
He was excellent in beating Brandon Royval at UFC 296, with a multifaceted attack of striking and wrestling. The fight ended up on the ground a surprising amount, with Pantoja's wrestling and grappling looking very impressive. He didn't really show either in his win over Brandon Moreno to win the belt back in July. However, he does have 10 career victories by submission, so maybe his Brazilian jiu-jitsu chops should not be doubted.
All that grappling probably contributed to Pantoja being gassed in the fifth round, which is something he'll have to shore up as he moves forward with the belt. But even then, he had the presence of mind and skill to get Royval to the mat with a takedown, get into mount and essentially run out the clock. It might not be riveting, but fight management is a skill all its own.
On the other hand, that is a concern for Pantoja and his American Top Team in the future, especially if another rematch with the indefatigable Brandon Moreno is lurking sometime in the future.
Emmett's power play at bantamweight
Josh Emmett sends Bryce Mitchell to the mat with a walk-off punch in Round 1 of their bout.
Raimondi: "I am the most power featherweight in the world," Josh Emmett said after his triumphant win over Bryce Mitchell. "It only takes one shot."
It's hard to argue with Emmett's declaration. Emmett's one-punch knockout of Mitchell at UFC 296 on Saturday night was incredibly violent. Mitchell stiffened up immediately, was unconscious for more than 30 seconds after impact and could be seen convulsing while down. Emmett's punches are like other people's kicks -- or the punches of much bigger men. It's why, at age 38, Emmett is still a factor in the 145-pound division. They say power is the last thing to go, and Emmett is proving it.
On the other hand, Mitchell took this fight on short notice. Less than two weeks ago, Giga Chikadze withdrew and Mitchell agreed to fill in. Mitchell looked significantly depleted Friday morning on the scale. We are not privy to how tough the weight cut was for Mitchell, but he looked in relatively poor shape. Hopefully, that did not play a factor in the knockout. And, more than anything, hopefully, Mitchell is completely healthy after that scary scene.