Outside Source
Leon Edwards sees himself on the cusp of another title shot with a pivotal win in his home country.
“Rocky” headlines UFC London opposite Sean Brady on March 22, a matchup that materialized after Edwards’ original opponent Jack Della Maddalena was called upon to challenge welterweight champion Belal Muhammad at UFC 315. Muhammad won his title with a commanding decision win over Edwards this past July, and Edwards actually angled for a rematch when he heard Muhammad needed a title challenger for the upcoming May pay-per-view.
“I heard about my replacement fight probably, like, a couple of weeks before,” Edwards said on his YouTube vlog. “I’d been in talks with the UFC, I was trying to step in to fight Belal, but I know that they sold London around me, so it would be difficult to take me off the card and leave Jack on the card. It would be weird to let Jack headline London.
“So we got a new opponent, Sean Brady, it’s a style that I’m used to. It’s a style that I’m comfortable fighting. So I’m looking forward to it, should be good.”
The fighter shuffle was necessitated by an injury to No. 1 welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov. Muhammad was set to defend against Rakhmonov at UFC 310 in December before a bone infection forced Muhammad off of that card. Though their rematch was never officially booked, the understanding was that Rakhmonov was still next in line, so his unavailability opened the door for Della Maddalena to face Muhammad instead.
Edwards thinks change at the top of the division is a good thing, especially for him if he puts on a statement performance against Brady at The O2 Arena.
“Also, Jack getting replaced to fight for the title, I feel like that opened up the division more,” Edwards said. “If he goes out and gets the win, I think that’s the perfect fight for me next. If Belal beats him, then a rematch is definitely as well.
“I spoke to the UFC, they told me that after this win this is a No. 1 contender fight. Whoever wins this, fights for the title. Well, when I win this I fight for the title. That is my aim. My aim is to get back that two-time world championship and everyone knew the result of the fight with me and Belal, everyone knew that wasn’t me. That was fighting at home, 5 a.m. in the morning, there’s a lot of things that went into it that played a part in the performance. So I can’t wait to get back in there and just set everything right and I think it all starts with Sean Brady.”
Muhammad responded to the clip on social media, warning Edwards that he’s going to have to wait “three long years” before they fight again.
someone tell him he got three long years ahead of him
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) March 2, 2025
This is a reference to their feud that began in March 2021 when they first fought in the main event of a UFC APEX card. That bout ended in a no-contest when an eye poke left Muhammad unable to continue just 18 seconds into Round 2. Muhammad had to rattle off five consecutive wins before being granted a rematch with Edwards at UFC 314 in July 2024.
This article first appeared at MMA Fighting – All Posts
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