UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns believes that the current UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards can easily beat Colby Covington. The highly anticipated fight is yet to be scheduled however Burns thinks he already knows the outcome.
Everyone remembers the historic night were Leon defended his belt. Last march we saw ‘Rocky’ dominate his opponent Kamaru Usman and straight after, the rumors for Colby Covington to be Leon’s next opponent. However, we are still waiting for the date to be decided. Gilbert Burns however believes that Edwards will beat Covington and that Leon is highly underrated.
In a recent interview with MiddleEasy, Gilbert Burns expressed his views on the fight: ‘Leon will win any day of the week. I think he has way better striking, like very sharp super, super good striking. With managing the distance, and controlling, his wrestling defense got much better and his grappling is super underrated. I think Leon is very very good but because he doesn’t fight so often, people kind of underrate him a little bit.
He continued, ‘I think he’s very very good. I think he’s going to beat Colby and I think he’s going to beat Belal Muhammad.
Quotes via bjpenn.com
Gilbert Burns Says Leon Edwards Is Underrated
Is Gilbert Burns right in saying Leon Edwards is underrated? As of September 2023 Leon Edwards sits at a record of 21-3-0 and one no contest against Belal Muhammad. In this record, he holds wins over Kamaru Usman twice, vincent Luque, Donald Cerrone, Gunnar Nelson, Rafael Dos Anjos and Nate Diaz. His resume is one of the best currently in the welterweight division. This however seemingly goes unnoticed to the UFC fans as Leon himself is not as erratic and insane as some of the other fighters in the division such as his opponent Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal.
However, some people doubt his ability rather than blame his circumstance. Many of his fights that lead up to the title were either unanimous or split decision winS. In fact, in his 16 fights in the UFC he has only finished his opponent four times. Some fans believe that Colby will win as Leon Edwards will not be able to handle Colby’s endless pressure. Many look to Leon’s fight for the title against Kamaru Usman where Leon landed the legendary head kick to become the champion. In that fight, Usman dominated the fight but was knocked out by a ‘lucky’ kick.
Whether you think Edwards is underrated or overrated is up to you. One thing that can’t be debated is that a fight between these two welterweight giants will be outstanding. And if Gilbert Burns is to be believed, Leon will be the champion for a lot longer. Will Leon Edwards dominate Colby Covington? Let us know in the comments below!
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images and Embed from Getty Images
