Stephen Thompson believes Leon Edwards will ‘pick apart’ Colby Covington in anticipated UFC title clash
Stephen Thompson is backing Leon Edwards to come out on top in a welterweight title clash with Colby Covington.
‘Wonderboy’ is back in action on Saturday night as the promotion heads to the Delta Center in Salt Lake City for UFC 291. Thompson will look to build on his win against Kevin Holland in December as he faces flashy welterweight standout Michel Pereira as part of a stacked main card.
Ahead of his highly anticipated return to the Octagon, Stephen Thompson spoke with members of the media to discuss the state of the welterweight division, including the proposed title tilt between division champion Leon Edwards and perennial contender Colby Covington. Asked how he sees that fight going, ‘Wonderboy’ answered without hesitation.
“Oh, I got Leon winning,” Thompson told reporters at the UFC 291 media event on Wednesday. “I mean, you saw what Usman did to Colby the last two fights. Colby is not a big welterweight and Leon is fairly a big welterweight, a lot bigger than Colby. Colby is known for his cardio, but Leon showed in his last two fights that he’s got the cardio with the best of them, and he’s got the grappling to defend the takedown and get back up.
“Kamaru is a very strong wrestler. I think he’s a lot stronger than Colby. So if Usman couldn’t hold Leon down, I don’t think Colby could. I think the fight stays standing and Leon picks him apart. That’s what I’m seeing from the fights that I’ve seen these guys face Usman in. The thing is, it doesn’t matter if it’s first round or last round. Watching his first fight with (Usman), you have to be, you can’t take this fight lightly as the fight goes on. He’s dangerous every step of the way” (h/t MMA Junkie).
Though no official announcement has been made, all signs point toward Edwards vs. Covington going down at UFC 295 inside the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden.
