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via Imago

via Imago

Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington are two of the greatest welterweight fighters in the UFC. The two have faced each other twice in hard-fought battles. Although Usman was victorious in both fights, Covington’s display of exceptional athleticism was praiseworthy. However, someone else reigns supreme in the UFC’s welterweight division, and his name is Leon Edwards.

After knocking the Nigerian fighter out at UFC 278, Edwards won the UFC gold and has since defended it against the same opponent. Now, he gears up to fight Covington at UFC 296. In a recent interview, ‘Rocky’ made some intriguing comments about the similarities between Covington and Usman.

Leon Edwards exposes similarities between Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman

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At UFC 296, Edwards will become one of the very few fighters to have fought both Usman and Covington. In a recent interview with ESPN MMA, the champion openly acknowledged the similarities between ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ and ‘Chaos’. Further, he even admitted that, due to these similarities, his training camp became a bit easier.

“I think, going back to back with Kamaru and then facing a guy like Colby Covington, it definitely helps you. Instead of going from a striker to a wrestler, I think it definitely helps,” he said. Moreover, the Jamaican-born also discussed his two rivals’ fighting styles.

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“I think he’s pretty similar (to Usman), like a boxing wrestling kind of style. But probably a little bit more output. I would say it’s definitely been an interesting camp. I feel good, I’m in shape and I’m looking forward to it,” he said. With these bold words, Edwards looks very confident heading into UFC 296.

Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington stats breakdown

Before Edwards’ interview started, ESPN MMA displayed an interesting stat comparison featuring the UFC 296 main event fighters. Looking at the recent record, ‘Rocky’ edges past Covington with 11 wins and 1 NC in his last 12 fights. ‘Chaos’, on the other hand, has won 9 and lost 3 of his last 12 fights.

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Moreover, the UFC welterweight champ leads in strike accuracy (54% for Edwards, 39% for Covington). However, the American MMA fighter leads in terms of significant strikes per minute (4.1 for Covington, 2.8 for Edwards). Further, ‘Chaos’ also has a better takedown defense (72% for Covington, 69% for Edwards).

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With an evenly matched set of stats, it is difficult to predict the winner of UFC 296’s main event. Who do you think takes home the UFC welterweight title? Let us know in the comments below.

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