UFC commentator Joe Rogan has criticized welterweight champion Leon Edwards' strategy in his last Saturday win over Colby Covington at the promotion's final pay-per-view event of the year.
Edwards (22-3 MMA, 14-2 UFC) retained his title at UFC 296 headliner with a dominant performance. The reigning champion secured a unanimous decision victory over challenger Covington (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC), with all three judges scoring the bout 49-46 in favor of Edwards.
The 32-year-old British fighter maintained a strategic distance and dismantled" Chaos" with precise kicks to the legs and body.
Despite his initial success, Rogan noted that "Rocky" had made a tactical misstep by opting for grappling exchanges with Covington toward the end of the fight. Edwards admitted to wanting to showcase his ability to take down Covington.
"What was interesting is that he made choices tonight that were not the best choices to win the fight but almost like to prove a point," Rogan said after the game.
"Like, he chose to engage Colby in grappling in moments where he did not have to, where he could have defended and got back up to his feet. I think that would be a better path to victory where he could have completely dominated the fight, absolutely dominated it."
While Edwards had successfully executed takedowns twice, this strategy instead allowed Covington to mount significant offense in the final round. Edwards finished the fight in a compromised position on his back and lost Round 5 on all three judges' scorecards as a result.
Rogan criticized him for making these ego-based decisions, especially when his superiority in standing up was evident throughout the fight.
"He found himself on the bottom at the end of the fight getting punched by Colby, which really didn't have to happen," Rogan said.
"That's not the way you want to see a guy who's as good as Leon Edwards fight. You don't want to see him make ego-based decisions when you don't have to, especially when he's so superior standing up."
Criticism quickly followed Rogan's remarks. Some fans suggested that his commentary displayed disrespect toward Edwards' overall performance and accused him of bias toward Covington for focusing on the final minutes of the bout.
Intense face-offs ahead of UFC 296 clash
The UFC welterweight championship clash between Edwards and Covington took a personal and intense turn. The reigning champion had vowed to make his opponent pay for controversial remarks about his late father, who was tragically murdered in a London nightclub when he was just 13.
During the UFC 296 press conference, Covington said he would take Edwards "to the seventh layer of hell" and added, "We'll say 'what's up' to your dad while we're there."
Edwards responded with visible fury, launching a water bottle at Covington. The tension escalated further at Saturday's weigh-in, where Edwards addressed the emotional build-up when questioned by Rogan.
"That man is as good as dead tomorrow," he said. "Make sure you keep everything you said about my dad because tomorrow we settle it."
Covington had said that he wanted former U.S. President Donald Trump to present the championship belt to him if he emerged victorious against Edwards.
Following his loss, the 35-year-old draped in an American flag instead and shouted out to the crowds as boos echoed around him.
"You can delay us but you can't deny us. He's going to make America great again," he said.
