Afrigather 
Leon Edwards isn’t going to be caught off guard forward of welterweight world title defence towards Colby Covington this weekend.
Edwards will tackle the second defence of the 170-pound crown towards a fighter who has been out of the game for the perfect a part of two years in Covington, a fighter who has — no less than partially — sought to keep up his spot on the summit of the 170-pound ladder together with his slightly distinctive model of trash-talk and battle promotion.
Edwards, unbeaten in virtually 9 years, says that no matter comes out of the American’s mouth between now and battle evening is not going to part him, and added that Covington’s antics solely serve to undermine him.
“I simply ignore it,” Edwards instructed MMA Combating of Covington’s schtick. “It’s a distinct type of banter the place I’m from and the place I grew up. It simply jogs my memory of a typical American jock. He’s like Stifler from ‘American Pie,’ that type of individual. He simply talks sht*. It’s no matter.
“Even exterior of combating, me and him would by no means be mates. We’re simply two totally different human beings and two totally different males. Our morals are totally different as males. That’s it. I’ll go on the market and it makes it simpler for me to coach, it makes it simpler for me to exit and punch a gap in his face, and that’s it.”
Covington’s grappling-heavy, relentless method has paid dividends within the cage in current occasions however Edwards says that this has been a rigorously sculpted persona designed to generate controversy.
“He comes out and performs a personality,” Edwards mentioned. “‘I’m going to play a personality as a result of I’m about to get lower from the UFC.’ It’s simpler for somebody like that to tolerate, simply giggle at him. You’re only a f*cking weirdo. That’s it. You possibly can say phrase for phrase what he’s going to say. You possibly can understand how he’s going to decorate. He’s only a character that’s humorous and a clown. We simply get pleasure from it for what it’s.”
And when that cage door shuts in Las Vegas late on Saturday evening, Edwards says his rival will discover out shortly that it is a totally different sort of battle to what he has been used to recently.
“He’s used to beating guys like Robbie Lawler, he’s used to beating guys like Jorge Masvidal, guys which might be over the hill slightly bit,” Edwards says. “They’re 37, 38, been in wars, their our bodies are overwhelmed up. He’s used to beating them type of guys. Now going on the market and beating these younger, match, hungry guys? I simply can’t see him doing it.”
