UFC 296 takeaways — Leon Edwards rises above the hate to confirm welterweight king status،
Leon Edwards reminded the world that he is the welterweight king of MMA against Colby Covington. Alexandre Pantoja defended his title against Brandon Royval, while Josh Emmett reminded the world how devastating he can be. Marc Raimondi and Jeff Wagenheim highlight takeaways from the final UFC event of 2023.
Many MMA fans have spent the last few days horrified and outraged by Colby Covington's classless reference to Leon Edwards' deceased father during the UFC 296 press conference on Thursday. But Edwards put that low blow behind him in a dark past and remained focused on Saturday's fight, even though he knew he would have the opportunity to have the last laugh.
And he ever did. Edwards dominated Covington for five rounds to earn a clear unanimous decision and retain his welterweight championship.
In the end, it was Edwards who received cheers at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and Covington was booed – which was the opposite of how fans had greeted both fighters as they were coming out for the main event.
But fans had just seen Edwards control the fight throughout, not just in stand-up but even in some wrestling 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 for 10 on takedowns, and Edwards had the same number of takedowns in just three tries. It was a humiliating reward.
The challenger spent the last minute or so in first position on the canvas, but it's telling that he took no risks in attempting to finish. By then, Covington must have known he was behind on the scorecards, so that passive final minute was a clear indication that “Chaos” just didn't want to be shut out. He had one trick 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 illusion. Edwards with the assurance of a job well done.
That makes 13 fights in a row without a loss for the champion. When Edwards won the belt in the summer of 2022, he was interviewed in the Octagon and shouted into the microphone: “Look at me now!” It was his way of releasing his frustrations at being neglected so often.
This continues to torment Edwards. This weekend, the focus was largely on Covington and his tired villain act. The Champion was the B side.
That changed on fight night, when Edwards walked while Covington fell flat on his face in his third attempt at the welterweight title. The UFC, at times, can show favoritism to a fighter it believes can make things happen, but Covington doesn't own a single win over anyone in the promotion's official welterweight top 15. This performance might finally convince the brass that this guy is all (filthy). talk.
As for Edwards, perhaps he will finally get the recognition that has eluded him, despite two wins against the all-time great Kamaru Usman and a domination against the star-studded Nate Diaz. The man showed on Saturday that he is a true champion. — Jeff Wagenheim
Pantoja's burst provides stability at men's flyweight
Raimondi: The UFC flyweight division is more exciting, better and deeper than ever. The only thing it lacks is stability. Not that that's a bad thing. Demetrious Johnson's long and sometimes mundane title run (not his fault) has given way to one of the most exciting upper divisions in the sport. It now appears, however, that the UFC has a flyweight champion who can reign for a long time with the belt in Alexandre Pantoja.
He excelled in defeating Brandon Royval at UFC 296, with a multi-faceted striking and wrestling attack. The fight ended surprisingly on the ground, with Pantoja's wrestling and grappling being very impressive. He also didn't really show up in his victory over Brandon Moreno to win the belt in July. However, he has 10 career victories by submission, so perhaps his Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills shouldn't be doubted.
All that struggling likely contributed to Pantoja being gassed in the fifth round, something he'll need to shore up as he moves forward with the belt. But even then, he had the presence of mind and skill to bring Royval to the mat with a takedown, mount and essentially run out the clock. It may not be fascinating, but combat management is a skill in its own right.
On the other hand, it's a concern for Pantoja and his American Top Team moving forward, especially if another rematch with the indefatigable Brandon Moreno lurks in the future.
Emmett's power play at bantamweight
Raimondi: “I’m the strongest featherweight in the world,” Josh Emmett said after his triumphant victory over Bryce Mitchell. “It only takes one shot.”
It's hard to argue with Emmett's statement. Emmett's one-punch knockout of Mitchell at UFC 296 on Saturday night was incredibly violent. Mitchell immediately stiffened, remained unconscious for more than 30 seconds after impact and could be seen convulsing while on the ground. Emmett's punches are like other people's kicks – or those of much bigger men. That's why, at 38 years old, Emmett is still a factor in the 145-pound division. They say power is the last thing, and Emmett proves it.
On the other hand, Mitchell took this fight on short notice. Less than two weeks ago, Giga Chikadze stepped down and Mitchell agreed to replace him. Mitchell looked considerably exhausted Friday morning on the scales. We don't know how difficult the weight cut was for Mitchell, but he looked relatively out of shape. Hopefully that didn't play a role in the knockout. And more than anything, I hope Mitchell is completely healthy after this scary scene.
