Leon Edwards tames Colby Covington in one-sided win at UFC 296 - ESPN

LAS VEGAS — Leon Edwards took all of Colby Covington's trash talk leading into the fight, stayed composed and put together a poised performance.

Edwards defeated Covington via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) in the main event of UFC 296 on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena. With the victory, Edwards successfully defended the UFC welterweight title for a second time.

It was a fairly one-sided performance, with Covington unable to push the pace as he normally would and Edwards picking him apart from the outside with kicks.

The tension between the two men boiled over at Thursday's prefight news conference. Covington said he would take Edwards to the «seventh layer of hell» and that maybe they would see Edwards' late father there. Edwards threw a full water bottle at Covington while both were on the dais, and the two had to be separated.

Edwards' father was murdered when Edwards was 13 years old.

In his postfight interview, Edwards said he cried after Thursday's news conference in «rage» and that it took a lot for him to calm down.

«This fight was very emotional for me,» Edwards said. «This guy used my dad's death as entertainment. He used my dad's murder as entertainment. It took a lot for me to calm down and stay focused and come into this fight.

»You can't use my dad's death as entertainment, and that's what he did, you know? To this day, it still breaks my heart he got murdered, and he said my dad should burn in hell."

«He's a great competitor,» Edwards added, «but just a dirty human being.»

Coming in, ESPN had Edwards ranked No. 4 on its pound-for-pound list.

Edwards peppered Covington with leg kicks throughout and bloodied Covington on his cheek and later his nose with left hands and check right hooks from