Owen Roddy sees [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] as a tougher puzzle to solve for [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] than [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag].
Covington (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) challenges Edwards (20-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) for the welterweight title in the UFC 296 main event on Dec. 16 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Edwards is coming off back-to-back title wins over Kamaru Usman, whereas Covington has lost twice to former champ Usman. But striking coach Roddy sees Covington’s style of wrestling potentially being a problem for Edwards.
“It’s a tricky one, you know,” Roddy told The MacLife. “Two very intelligent fighters. I always said about Leon and Fabian that they always came with really good, really intelligent game plans.
“I do believe that Colby’s a trickier fight than Usman. 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.”
Covington rebounded from his second loss to Usman with a lopsided decision win over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272. Although Roddy sees a path to victory for Covington, he’s ultimately picking Edwards to retain his belt.
“Obviously, if Colby can keep mixing it up and make it a difficult fight, he could win via decision,” Roddy continued. “But, I’ll go with Leon.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.