Leon Edwards put in a dominant performance against Colby Covington, winning by unanimous decision to retain his welterweight championship in the main event Saturday night at UFC 296 in Las Vegas.
The judges scored the bout 49-46 for Edwards, who is now unbeaten in 13 straight fights.
Covington, who fought for the first time since March 2022, took a much more lax, cautious approach than usual in the opening two rounds. Normally an aggressive wrestler and high-volume striker who keeps the pressure on his opponent, Covington instead let Edwards press forward and dictate pace and distance.
Edwards stayed measured but did damage to Covington with hard leg kicks while tagging him with crisp, accurate punches.