Michael Bisping has strong opinions about the upcoming UFC 296 fight, considering it as Colby Covington‘s final chance to become a champion.
Covington, who previously challenged Kamaru Usman, is now ready to contest Leon Edwards for the welterweight title on Dec. 16 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“Here’s what is going to make Colby very, very dangerous come fight night,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “He’s (35) years old; this is his last title fight. It’s as simple as that. This will be his third time fighting for the belt, twice against Kamaru Usman, didn’t get the job done.
“Got stopped once, went to a decision the next time. Very competitive fights, though, but it doesn’t matter. He didn’t win. He didn’t become the champion. … This is going to be the last chance for Colby Covington, OK? This really is.”
Bisping believes Edwards’ key to victory is simply keeping the fight standing where he sees a big advantage for the champion – but he doesn’t see it as an easy task.
“If he can maintain range, if he can keep at a distance,” Bisping said, “he can use the jabs, the straight shots, punish Colby with knees and elbows on the inside and use those head kicks in stunning fashion and basically just keep the fight off the ground.”
“That’s it in a nutshell. If he can keep the fight off the ground, he’s probably going to retain the belt, but it ain’t going to be easy because Colby is like an Energizer Bunny. He just never stops. He keeps coming and coming and coming. He’s got cardio for days.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.
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