Michael Bisping believes Leon Edwards’ reign as the UFC welterweight champion won’t last long, considering that there are a number of technical grapplers in the division.
Edwards pulled off a last-minute upset win over Kamaru Usman, knocking him out in the dying moments of the fifth round at UFC 278. The Brit will likely face the Nigerian in an immediate rematch in England. Gilbert Burns, one of the top guys in the welterweight division, believes that the reigning champion will have a slight edge if they run it back.
Michael Bisping On Leon Edwards
Bisping also believes his compatriot has a very good chance of beating Usman again, but he’ll struggle to keep a hold of the title for long. Speaking on BT Sport (as transcribed by SportsKeeda), the former UFC middleweight champion said that ‘Rocky’ would lose his belt to Khamzat Chimaev in 2023.
“I’m all about Leon Edwards and I’m team Leon for sure,” Bisping said. “He’s got a tough fight in Kamaru Usman, one that I do believe he can win and has a very good chance of winning… However, the problem for Leon, and I’m not saying he can’t beat them, is that the top 5, and in fact, the majority of the top 10 at welterweight are all very, very strong, technical grapplers. And being predominantly a striker, that’s a problem for Leon… Eventually, I think someone’s gonna get it done… The one that I think is going to be standing with the belt in 2023 will be Khamzat Chimaev. That’s the guy.”
Who do you think would win a potential UFC welterweight title fight between Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev?
