Report | Leon Edwards targeted to defend his welterweight title at UFC 295 against Colby Covington

Leon Edwards will be returning to the Octagon in November.

UFC president Dana White told TNT Sports Adam Catterall that the promotion is working on Edwards vs. Colby Covington to serve as the co-headliner of UFC 295. The event is set to take place on November 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York with Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic heavyweight title fight serving as the main event.

Edwards has been campaigning for a fight for quite some time and the hope was to fight in October in Abu Dhabi. Yet, after the UFC announced Makhachev vs. Oliveira 2 and Chimaev vs. Costa, the plan is now for Edwards to take on Covington at UFC 295.

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Edwards and Covington’s recent fights

Leon Edwards (21-3 and one No Contest) defended his welterweight title for the first time back in March in London as he beat Kamaru Usman by a majority decision. Prior to that, he scored a fifth-round head kick KO over Usman to win the belt. To earn the title shot, Edwards was on a 10-fight unbeaten streak as he has wins over Nate Diaz, Rafael dos Anjos, Vicente Luque, and Gunnar Nelson. He also had fought Belal Muhammad to a No Contest due to an accidental eye poke.

Colby Covington (17-3) hasn’t fought since March of 2022 when he defeated Jorge Masvidal by decision. The victory over Masvidal got him back into the win column after losing a decision to Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title. ‘Chaos’ is just 2-2 in his last four with his other win coming by TKO over Tyron Woodley while the other loss was by TKO to Usman for the welterweight title. In his career, Covington is the UFC’s former interim welterweight champion and holds notable wins over dos Anjos, Robbie Lawler, and Demian Maia among others.

With Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington targeted to take place at MSG, UFC 295 is as follows:

• Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic
• Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington