02 December 2023 , 08:00
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Tom Aspinall thinks fellow British UFC champion Leon Edwards will be too slick for Colby Covington in their upcoming world title fight.
Edwards is scheduled to defend his welterweight belt against top contender and former interim titleholder Covington at UFC 296 on December 16 in Las Vegas. The Brit is looking to top off an excellent year having defended his belt against Kamaru Usman in their trilogy fight back in March.
Aspinall and Edwards are on top of their respective divisions and their title reigns are significant as it marks the first time in UFC history that two British fighters have been champions at the same time. The interim heavyweight champion thinks that Edwards may get taken down a few times in the fight, but will ultimately knock Covington out.
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“I definitely think he can win and I definitely think he is going to win," Aspinall told Mirror Fighting. "I think that Leon is just a slick operator, he fights with his brain which is great. I think that Leon is just going to outsmart him, he might get taken down a few times in the fight because Colby is a great wrestler.
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“Leon is going to make him walk into something, he will set traps as he does and will catch him before the five rounds is up and finish him.” Edwards won the belt last August with a last-gasp knockout against Usman in their rematch having lost most of the fight. The Brit has expressed interest in moving up to middleweight after facing Covington in the hopes of becoming a two-weight champion.
Middleweight champion Sean Strickland is set to defend his belt against Dricus Du Plessis next month and Edwards feels he would serve as a perfect opponent for either of the two men. Edwards is no stranger to training the middleweights as his brother Fabian formerly competed at the weight class for Bellator MMA.
“I feel especially with someone like [Sean] Strickland and [Dricus Du Plessis]. Any of them two would be great to fight,” Edwards told Sky Sports. “I’m big myself, I feel like that would be perfect. I feel like me going out there being double champ, first ever from the UK to do it. That’s definitely one of my goals, so that’s on the cards for sure.”