Owen Roddy: ‘Colby’s a trickier fight than Usman’ for Leon Edwards

Owen Roddy, one of the foremost minds in European MMA, says that UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards will have his hands full in his upcoming title defence against Colby Covington.

The Briton will defend his world title in the UFC 296 headliner on December 16 against Covington, a fighter not seen in the UFC cage since a March 2022 win against Jorge Masvidal — a fight which came soon after two unsuccessful attempts to seize the belt from its former holder, Kamaru Usman.

Edwards, owner of two successive wins against Usman, will likely be the oddsmakers’ betting favourite once the cage door closes and all the money is on the table in Sin City but according to SBG Charlestown head coach Roddy, Edwards faces a sizeable task in a couple of weekends.

“It’s a tricky one, you know,” Roddy told TheMacLife in Dublin. “Two very intelligent fighters. I always said about Leon and [his brother] Fabian that they always came with really good, really intelligent game plans.”

“I do believe that Colby’s a trickier fight than Usman,” Roddy added. “I think his chain wrestling might be a bit of a problem for Leon. But like I said, if Leon can nullify the wrestling and keep it on the feet, he’s got the power to put Colby away.”