SUMMARY
- Edwards won over Covington via unanimous decision.
- Leon Edwards expressed his admiration for Nate Diaz.
Leon Edwards successfully defended his welterweight championship title against Colby Covington recently at UFC 296. In what was a heavily anticipated fight, Edwards nullified Covington and won via unanimous decision. However, in the aftermath of the UFC 296, UFC fans have shown their appreciation for the fighter who proved to be a tough nut to crack for the reigning welterweight champion.
Back in 2021, Leon Edwards faced Nate Diaz at UFC 263 at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona. While the fight was originally scheduled to take place at UFC 262, it had to be postponed due to Diaz’s injury. It was a closely contested fight between Edwards and the American MMA star. Despite Edwards bringing home the victory, the English fighter had nearly lost it in round five.
During their bout, Diaz managed to land vicious left hand that landed on Edwards jaw. While almost every UFC fan thought that Diaz had managed to win the fight with his punch, Edwards managed to get back up on his feet. Ultimately, the match was won by Edwards via unanimous deicision.
— MS (@UFC_Obsessed) June 13, 2021
Speaking after the fight, Edwards expressed his admiration for the veteran fighter. He said, “Nate’s a veteran, I give my respect to Nate. I look forward to my world title shot.” Diaz also later congratulated Leon Edwards for the win. However, the 38-year-old regretted not being able to finish the match with his brutal punch in the fifth round.
MMA fans commend Nate Diaz and Kumaru Usman’s performance against Leon Edwards
Meanwhile, following Colby Covington‘s disappointing defeat against Leon Edwards, the MMA fans have commended Nate Diaz and Kumaru Usman’s performance. Edwards has faced Kumaru Usman in his career thrice, with the first fight taking place eight years ago. While Usman won the first fight via unanimous decision, Edwards became the first fighter to have claimed a submission victory over Usman in the second fight.
The pair met last at UFC 286 where Edwards won via majority decision and became the UFC welterweight champion for the fist time. However, the fans feel that Usman and Diaz deserve more praise for their performance. One fan even wrote, “People hate giving Diaz credit for anything.” Other fans have also chimed in with their words of support for Kumaru Usman.