WelterweightTITLE FIGHT5 rounds scheduled
RESULT
Leon Edwards def. Colby Covington (Unanimous Decision)
Unanimous Decision · Round 5 · 5:00
Saturday, December 16, 2023
T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, United States
Leon Edwards defeated Colby Covington by Unanimous Decision in round 5 (5:00) in the Welterweight title main event of UFC 296: Edwards vs Covington, held Saturday, December 16, 2023 at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas.
Fight stats
Leon Edwards
Colby Covington
0
Knockdowns
0
57 of 108
Significant strikes
44 of 126
53%
Sig. strike accuracy
35%
65 of 116
Total strikes
109 of 194
2 of 3
Takedowns
2 of 10
67%
Takedown accuracy
20%
2
Submission attempts
0
1
Reversals
0
1:27
Control time
5:04
Significant strikes by target
21 of 62
Head
20 of 86
14 of 21
Body
7 of 12
22 of 25
Leg
17 of 28
56 of 107
Distance
44 of 125
0 of 0
Clinch
0 of 1
1 of 1
Ground
0 of 0
By round
ROUND 1
0
KD
0
13 of 31
Sig. str.
10 of 28
13 of 31
Total str.
10 of 28
0 of 0
Takedowns
0 of 1
0
Sub. att
0
0:00
Ctrl
0:00
ROUND 2
0
KD
0
18 of 27
Sig. str.
13 of 36
18 of 27
Total str.
13 of 36
0 of 0
Takedowns
0 of 0
0
Sub. att
0
0:00
Ctrl
0:00
ROUND 3
0
KD
0
12 of 23
Sig. str.
7 of 32
13 of 24
Total str.
13 of 38
1 of 2
Takedowns
1 of 3
0
Sub. att
0
0:18
Ctrl
0:34
ROUND 4
0
KD
0
11 of 22
Sig. str.
13 of 26
11 of 22
Total str.
19 of 32
0 of 0
Takedowns
0 of 5
1
Sub. att
0
0:11
Ctrl
1:27
ROUND 5
0
KD
0
3 of 5
Sig. str.
1 of 4
10 of 12
Total str.
54 of 60
1 of 1
Takedowns
1 of 1
1
Sub. att
0
0:58
Ctrl
3:03
Judges' Scorecards
Media Scores
23
Edwards
–
0
Covington
●49–46 Edwards×21●50–45 Edwards●48–47 Edwards
All 23 media scorecards▾
- Scott Fontana · New York Post50–45Edwards
- Keith Shillan · Sherdog.com49–46Edwards
- Matthew Wells · MMAJunkie.com49–46Edwards
- Dan Urban · Couchside Judges49–46Edwards
- BloodyElbow.com49–46Edwards
- John Pollock · POST Wrestling49–46Edwards
- Michael DeSantis · MMASucka.com49–46Edwards
- Seán Sheehan · SevereMMA.com49–46Edwards
- Daniel Yanofsky · The Sporting News49–46Edwards
- Steve Duncan · mma.uno49–46Edwards
- Jake Noecker · Cageside Press49–46Edwards
- Dayne Fox · BloodyElbow.com49–46Edwards
- Jay Pettry · Sherdog.com49–46Edwards
- Ryan Frederick · WrestlingObserver.com49–46Edwards
- Drake Riggs · MMAMania.com49–46Edwards
- Danny Segura · MMAJunkie.com49–46Edwards
- Paul Fontaine · WrestlingObserver.com49–46Edwards
- Phil Murphy · ESPN49–46Edwards
- MMAMania.com49–46Edwards
- MMAJunkie.com49–46Edwards
- Scottie Smith · Sherdog.com49–46Edwards
- Ben Duffy · Sherdog.com49–46Edwards
- CombatPress.com48–47Edwards
Fan Scorecards
88%
Edwards
1%
Draw
11%
Covington
701 fan scorecards submitted
●49–46 Edwards57.2%●48–47 Edwards17.4%●50–45 Edwards10.3%●48–47 Covington6.7%
Fans' round-by-round verdict
R1
94%
Edwards
R2
97%
Edwards
R3
89%
Edwards
R4
70%
Edwards
R5
83%
Covington
Scorecard data via mmadecisions.com
Frequently asked questions
Who won Leon Edwards vs Colby Covington?
Leon Edwards defeated Colby Covington by Unanimous Decision in round 5 (5:00) in the Welterweight title main event of UFC 296: Edwards vs Covington, held Saturday, December 16, 2023 at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas.
What were the judges' scorecards for Leon Edwards vs Colby Covington?
The judges scored it 49–46, 49–46, 49–46 — Leon Edwards won the decision.
Referee
Herb Dean
Time format
5 Rnd (5-5-5-5-5)
Pre-fight comparison▾
Win probability
Leon Edwards 55%45% Colby Covington
What the model gave each fighter going into the fight, from their pre-fight UFCal Elo ratings. See all Elo ratings
Tale of the Tape
22-6-0 (1 NC)
Record
17-5-0
1672
Elo rating
1641
0
Win Streak
0
34
Age
38
6'2"
188 cm
Height
5'11"
180 cm
74"
188 cm
Reach
72"
183 cm
Southpaw
Stance
Orthodox
Welterweight
Weight Class
Welterweight
United Kingdom
Nationality
United States
Striking Profile
2.60
SLpM
3.81
54%
Str. Acc.
38%
2.44
SApM
3.09
52%
Str. Def.
54%
Grappling Profile
1.25
TD Avg.
3.64
37%
TD Acc.
42%
63%
TD Def.
68%
0.40
Sub. Avg.
0.20
Recent form (last 5 fights)
Leon Edwards · 2-3
- LVeChain UFC 322: Della Maddalena vs MakhachevSat, Nov 15, 2025TKO · R2 · 1:28 · Welterweight
- L
- LUFC 304: Edwards vs Muhammad 2Sat, Jul 27, 2024Unanimous Decision · R5 · 5:00 · Welterweight
- WUFC 296: Edwards vs CovingtonSat, Dec 16, 2023Unanimous Decision · R5 · 5:00 · Welterweight
- WUFC 286: Edwards vs Usman 3Sat, Mar 18, 2023Majority Decision · R5 · 5:00 · Welterweight
Colby Covington · 2-3
Common Opponents
Leon Edwards
Colby Covington
- vs
Head-to-Head History
Career Averages
Based on 19 fights · 17 fights
44.9
Avg sig. strikes
64.6
1.47
Avg takedowns
4.12
3:41
Avg control time
7:21
120
Career high strikes
179
4
Career high TDs
12
Strike Distribution
Leon Edwards
Strike target
Colby Covington
56%
Head
69%
24%
Body
16%
20%
Leg
15%
Leon Edwards
Strike position
Colby Covington
75%
Distance
80%
14%
Clinch
10%
11%
Ground
11%