UFC 296: Leon Edwards dominates listless Colby Covington to defend welterweight belt

Leon Edwards didn't have to deal with much chaos from Colby Covington at UFC 296.

The UFC welterweight champion defended his title against one of the UFC's biggest heels at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, taking a unanimous decision win in a fight that was slow-paced in the first few rounds and all but decided in the later rounds.

All three judges scored the fight 49-46 for Edwards.

The win increases Edwards' unbeaten streak to 13 fights and further cements him as top dog in a welterweight division previously reigned by Kamaru Usman.

"This fight was very emotional for me. This guy used my dad's death as entertainment. He used my dad's murder as entertainment. It took a lot for me to calm down, stay focused," Edwards said to Joe Rogan after the fight. "After the press conference, I went backstage. I was crying, just due to the rage. You can't use my dad's death as entertainment. That's what he did. ... He said my dad should burn in hell."

"He's a good competitor. But he's a dirty human being."

The first two rounds were slow to the point that the heavily pro-Covington crowd in Las Vegas was raining down boos toward the end of the second. It was Edwards playing his game, methodically striking and punishing the more wrestling-heavy Covington, who was throwing out half-hearted strikes and attempted only one takedown without success.

The pace picked up a little in the third. After some more exchanges, with Covington's right leg increasingly bruised, Covington landed a takedown, but got nothing to show for it but a head kick as Edwards broke free and stood up. As if to prove a point, Edwards then attempted his own takedown and seemed to come away with a 3-0 lead in rounds.

Only three of the 12 wins in Edwards' unbeaten had been by finish, and he appeared headed to another decision win barring Covington shocking him like Edwards did to Kamaru Usman at UFC 278. That moment never came, though Covington got more comfortable in the fourth.

Either to keep up appearances or just out of sheer delusion, Covington celebrated as if he had won after the final buzzer. Reality arrived minutes later from the judges, though he treated it as a mere obstacle while speaking with Rogan.

"I feel great. I don't feel like I got touched. It was an easy fight. I don't have a scratch on me," Covington said as a cut bled on his nose. "I thought I won the fight."

Still, Covington blamed his 21-month layoff from his last fight, a decision win over Jorge Masvidal, for his loss. He is now 0-3 in challenges for the undisputed welterweight belt and will likely need wins over multiple contenders in the division to receive a fourth.