Leon Edwards (22-3) retains the UFC Welterweight Championship as he paced Colby Covington (17-4) to a unanimous decision (3x 49-46) victory in the main event of UFC 296 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Edwards used his notable striking prowess to keep Covington at range and control the pace of the fight. He landed 57 total strikes, including 22 leg kicks, which helped neutralize Covington and cruise to a one-sided decision.

Though Edwards is known for his striking ability, he decided to grapple with Covington and even scored two takedowns against the accomplished wrestler.

“I wanted to grapple with him just to shut down this striker thing I got going on,” said Edwards. “I’m a mixed martial artist. I started as a mixed martial artist. I wanted to come out here [and] prove my case. Out-grapple a grappler”.

With this win, Edwards has successfully defended the UFC Welterweight throne for the second time, as he defeated former champion Kamaru Usman earlier this year. He has also tied UFC Hall of Famer, Georges St-Pierre, for longest win streak in the welterweight division with 12.

During the lead up for this UFC main event, Colby Covington made several derogatory remarks about Leon Edwards’ deceased father. Edwards’ father was shot and killed in a London club when Edwards was a teen.

“This fight was very emotional for me. This guy used my dad’s death as entertainment,” said Edwards. “It took a lot for me to calm down [and] stay focused”.

In the co-main event, Alexandre Pantoja (27-5) defeated his UFC Flyweight belt against Brandon Royval (15-7) by unanimous decision (2x 50-45, 49-46) to earn his first successful title defense. Royval would come alive late in the fight, but Pantoja weathered the storm to secure the victory.

By retaining the championship, Pantoja has extended his winning streak to five. This is his second win over Royval, as he submitted him in the first round of their previous fight in 2021.

Elsewhere on the UFC 296 main card, Shavkat Rakhmonov (18-0) earned the biggest win of his career when he became the first man to submit Stephen Thompson (17-7-1) and remain undefeated, as he makes a push to UFC gold.

Paddy Pimblett (21-3) extended his UFC winning streak to five, as he outlasted Tony Ferguson (25-10) to win via unanimous decision. With this loss, Ferguson is now on a seven-fight losing streak, after winning his previous 12 fights.

Josh Emmett (19-4) showcased his power once again as he knocked out Bryce Mitchell (16-3) 1:57 in the 1^st round with a scary ducking overhand right.

Prelims

Alonzo Menifield def. Dustin Jacoby (UD)

Irene Aldana def. Karol Rosa (UD)

Cody Garbrandt def. Brian Kelleher (KO/TKO)

Ariane Lipski def. Casey O’Neill (Sub.)

Tagir Ulanbekov def. Cody Durden (Sub.)

Andre Fili def. Lucas Almeida (KO/TKO)

Shamil Gaziev def. Martin Buday (KO/TKO)