LAS VEGAS – Leon Edwards initially brushed off Colby Covington’s trash talk as a gimmick, but a personal insult changed the course of fight week.
As he sat relieved and smiling at the UFC 296 post-fight news conference, Edwards (22-3 MMA, 14-2 UFC) admitted those around him got his mental right when he was struggling in order for him to turn in a unanimous decision win over Covington (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC).
“That was definitely one of the most emotional fights I’ve had to deal with, the comments that he made,” Edwards told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “I’ve got a great support system around me and they definitely got me in the right space to go out there and compete as an athlete. My mind and my body wanted to go out there and have a war with him. But when I looked toward my coaches and my mom and everyone, they said, ‘OK, shut it all off for 25 minutes and after that you can deal with the emotions. I was able to do that.”
