UFC 296 PREDICTIONS: Tom Aspinall back Leon Edwards to ‘outsmart’ Colby Covington while Alexander Volkanovski says the Brit will be ‘more dangerous’… but Henry Cejudo says the match-up is ‘perfect’ for the American

•  Leon Edwards is the slight favourite to defeat Colby Covington at UFC 296
• ‘Rocky’ comes into the showdown off a decision win against Kamaru Usman 
• Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett MUST seize his moment in the UFC 296 limelight after seeing his career stutter – The Hook 

Leon Edwards will be looking to successfully defend his welterweight title for a second time when he faces Colby Covington at UFC 296 in the final pay-per-view card of the year.

‘Rocky’ comes into the mouthwatering bout off the back of a majority decision victory over welterweight legend Kamaru Usman at UFC 286 back in March.

As for Covington, ‘Chaos’ is fighting for the first time in well over a year. The No 3 ranked contender defeated bitter rival Jorge Masvidal via decision in his last outing. 

It is fair to say that MMA fans are in for a real treat this weekend – with the final main event of the year set to be a cracker. 

Mail Sport breaks down the major predictions from the biggest names in the sport on how the UFC 296 showdown between Edwards and Covington will play out.

Leon Edwards is the slight favourite to retain his title at UFC 296 in Las Vegas this weekend

The British champion will face Colby Covington in an epic main event at the T-Mobile Arena

JORGE MASVIDAL

Verdict: Edwards win 

Unsurprisingly, Covington’s bitter rival Jorge Masvidal is backing Edwards to retain his title in Las Vegas. 

‘I hope Leon just f*****g leaves him in a stretcher. Just f*****g like, f*****g beats the dog breaks out of him,’ he said. 

‘Colby’s old too, now. He might not be able to keep that pace up. Leon’s looking really good at being a scramble, get up to his feet and start to fight again. 

‘I just feel that Colby is a couple [of] notches above Usman in the grappling department if he’s on top of people, of just being really sticky, holding somebody and not letting go.’ 

TOM ASPINALL

Verdict: Edwards win 

Tom Aspinall, who was recently crowned the interim heavyweight champion, backs ‘Rocky’ to ‘outsmart’ the title challenger inside the octagon this weekend.

Speaking exclusively to Mail Sport, Aspinall said: ‘I think that Leon is massively underappreciated, as a UK champion. The guy’s absolutely incredibly so smart in the Octagon makes amazing decisions.

UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is back ‘Rocky’ to defeat ‘Chaos’ in Vegas 

‘I think he’s gonna outsmart Colby Covington. Like he’s way more slick. He’s just like a smooth, slick operator.

‘I’m a big fan of Leon, his style and his approach to the game and everything. And yeah, he’s just going to outsmart Colby.

‘Colby is a great fighter in his own right, but I believe that Leon is way smarter than him’.

ALEXANDER VOLKANOVSKI

Verdict: Edwards win 

Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski believes that MMA fans are going to see a better version of Rocky at UFC 296.

Speaking on his official YouTube channel, ‘Volk’ said: ‘I know that where Usman would hold him [Edwards] and sort of stay put in certain positions, Colby Covington is going to keep trying to reap him and get him off balance and do all these things.

‘But, I believe Leon is in so much better condition and he is in a way better position than even when he was in that last fight. He is in a much better position now, so I guarantee you you’re going to see a better version of Leon this weekend. He’s going to be more dangerous on the feet, he’s going to be even better in the takedown defense.’ 

Alexander Volkanovski claims UFC fans will see a better version of Edwards this weekend 

GILBERT BURNS

Verdict: Burns win 

Gilbert Burns will be keeping a close eye on the fight this weekend and will be desperate to get back in the title mix soon. The Brazilian is also backing the Brit to win this weekend.

‘I think it’s a good matchup for Leon to be honest because, well, Kamaru Usman had a lot of success against Colby when he was southpaw,’ Burns told MMA Junkie.

‘For sure, they’re both wrestlers. It kind of changes a little bit, but Leon is very long. His reach is very big. It’s going to be easy for him to stuff the takedowns and defend and keep the fight on the feet.

‘He’s way more dangerous than Kamaru, way more crispy. The hands are quicker. The kicks are good. I think he’s going to be able to defend the takedowns and kind of outstrike (Covington) because of his precision and he’s got a lot of power. 

‘He’s got a lot of pop on the kicks, and a lot of pops on the hands too. So, I do think Leon is going to win. It’s not going to be easy but, I think he’s going to get it done.’

HENRY CEJUDO

Verdict: Covington win 

Former bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo believes that the UFC will have a new welterweight champion this weekend.

Speaking on his official YouTube channel, Cejudo said: ‘The thing with Colby Covington and Leon Edwards, Colby Covington just has one style, and that style is to just wrestle, to hug you,’ he said. 

‘Yeah, his fight style is boring. He will just hug your legs. But Colby does finish people… This matchup is perfect for Colby. I think we are gonna have a new champion. I don’t think Leon Edwards’ takedown defense will be enough (against) a guy like Colby Covington.’

Henry Cejudo believes that Covington’s ‘boring’ fight style will be enough to get the job done

MATT FREVOLA

Verdict: Covington win 

UFC lightweight contender Matt Frevola is also predicting the No 3 ranked contender to get the job done in Vegas.

Speaking to James Lynch, he said: ‘Colby has the style to beat Edwards with his pressure and his relentless pace with his takedowns. We saw Usman get Edwards down and I think Covington can get him down and keep him down. 

KAMARU USMAN

Verdict: On the fence 

Kamaru Usman, who has shared the cage with both fighters, has shared his thoughts on Saturday’s main event. 

Speaking on ESPN’s DC & RC, Usman said: Colby Covington is not going to stop trying to get that takedown. That’s where he differs from you and I. We can adjust because we can strike. We’ve got the power to be able to hurt a guy and put him out. 

‘Colby Covington is not going to deviate away from the plan, especially when he knows, ‘This guy’s not a national champion. This guy’s not an All-American. This guy’s a striker that has learned how to defend takedowns using the cage. I am going to shoot takedowns as much as I can until I get him down.’

The former welterweight king reveals he had to dig deep in order to get the job both times against the divisive American star. 

Kamaru Usman – who has shared the cage with both fighters – has his say on UFC 296

‘Going by my fights, I’m going to be honest with you, I’m being straight up with you: Colby Covington fought me neck and neck. I just had to outclass him towards the end.’

In an interview on the MMA Hour, Edwards said the UFC and Donald Trump are rooting for Covington to win. The ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ explains that the promotion does not have a preference and that it is just business. 

‘The UFC doesn’t care,’ he said. ‘The UFC wants who’s going to make the most money. That’s who they care about. They are a company, and they’re trying to bring in revenue.’

‘Leon, if you feel that the UFC wants him to win because it brings them more money, well, change that. You be that cash cow. You be that guy that brings in more money. So, I don’t want to hear that from a champion, because that just sounds like whining to me. You want to change the narrative, then go out there and change that narrative.’

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