Leon Edwards has defeated all eight of his UFC opponents since his loss to Kamaru Usman at UFC Orlando in 2015. With recent wins over Rafael dos Anjos and Gunnar Nelson, ‘Rocky’ has cemented his position as a serious contender within the 170lbs division and will likely face Usman once again in the near future.
Five Long Years
Despite his original loss to the champion, Edwards sees the rematch going his way. Its been five long years since their first fight and both welterweights have made huge improvements since then. The Birmingham based contender revealed to MMA Junkie that there were a variety of issues with his training camp at AKA in the build up to their first bout.
“We’re two different – from back then like five years ago – just two different abilities and what we’ve achieved. I truly believe I’ve got everything I need to beat him. If you watch the first fight, it was 1-1 going into the third round, I think, and he did what he did with the wrestling.
“My preparation for that fight was not how I like to prepare. I went away, and I did my camp at AKA, and now I’m back in the U.K. working with my team, and I have not lost since. So I truly believe that the fight would be different, and I would get the victory.”
Usman vs Masvidal
‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ is currently expected to face ‘BMF’ belt holder, Jorge Masvidal this summer. Edwards has already tangled with Masvidal outside of the Octagon when the backyard brawler flipped on him during a backstage interview at UFC London.
Edwards claims to have no interest in how the fight between Usman and Masvidal goes but if he had to pick, he gives the champion the advantage.
“I couldn’t care less who wins. Like I said, it’s two good stories between both men, so either way, both fights would sell just as much, but I don’t know who wins. Usman probably – I think Usman is a better all-around martial artist. His striking, wrestling and he can mix it up a little more, good cardio. Masvidal comes out, he’s a good boxer, so I’d probably edge towards Usman on the victory.”
Who would you like to see Leon Edwards face next?
See also:
