UFC head honcho Dana White is always looking to make the next big UFC PPV, and now it seems like he has already found a major hit for the upcoming year. So what is this big plan? “BOOM! Headshot! Dead!!”.. Sounds familiar? Yes, it looks like we might see the Birmingham export Leon Edwards make his much-awaited return for a big PPV card next year. After dominant wins over Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington as the welterweight king, Leon Edwards lived a night to forget in his next fight. Leading the UFC 304 card in his home country, the Englishman put on an abysmal performance and, as a result, lost the welterweight belt after being dominated by Belal Muhammad.

Since then, ‘Rocky,’ has stayed away from the spotlight. Despite the brief hiatus in his career, the former welterweight champion of the category has bold plans for 2025. According to a recent post by Ariel Helwani, Edwards is all geared up to mark his return to the promotion. So when is his return? Well, as per the veteran journalist, ‘Rocky’ will likely make his return on March 22, 2025. As he said, “Leon Edwards was just interviewed on the @DANBoxing broadcasted by @_JamieWard_. He revealed he is headlining the O2 card in London on March 22, 2025. Didn’t mention an opponent.”

A few days ago, Edwards stressed that his main goal is to regain the belt by the end of next season, in a video posted by the ‘My Protein’ Instagram handle. Before Muhammad’s setback, Edwards was on a 13-fight unbeaten streak. Therefore, the Englishman took advantage of the months after the last match to digest the tough pill he swallowed at the hands of the Arab-American champion. He said in the video, “My goal right now is to get the belt back.” Edwards further added, “My goal is to be [a] two-time world champion.” 

Despite the goal set, Leon Edwards‘ return to active duty has yet to be determined. Despite being #1 in the rankings, the Englishman will likely have to fight at least one match before qualifying for the title shot again. After all, the position of the next challenger in the category will most likely come from the winner of Ian Machado Garry vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov. So who will he face in his return? Well, fans have some interesting guesses.

Fans speculate on the upcoming opponent for Leon Edwards

As soon as fans found out that ‘Rocky’ is making a comeback without revealing an opponent, they were quick to suggest some major names who would be perfect for the returning Jamaican-Englishman. And while there were some interesting names, the one that truly stood out was Sean Brady. Currently #4 on the welterweight rankings, Brady can provide the much-needed jump Leon Edwards needs to get a title shot. The other name dropped was Jack Della Maddalena. Some comments that several fans made were: “Thinking Sean Brady or JDM, both would line up time and rankings-wise.,” “He should fight Sean Brady or someone actually ranked,” and “He needs to beat a ranked [opponent] to see the title.”

Some fans believed that it could also be Jorge Masvidal‘s massive return against Edwards. Fighting against ‘Gamebred’ would surely make the Englishman’s return a headliner fight, and the support fans showed for Masvidal as the opponent proved that it could be a big-money fight. They wrote comments like, “Do the Masvidal grudge match,” “Masvidal returns?” and “Pretty obvious [it] is Masvidal. Otherwise, Leon wouldn’t be a headline.” 

However, a fan of Brady suggested that facing Masvidal won’t do much for Edwards, especially when compared to a fight against the No.4-ranked welterweight. “Hopefully it’s Sean Brady; not sure what beating irrelevant Masvidal does for him at this point.” Fans seem to be ready with their picks for Leon Edwards’ next opponent. Now it is all upon Dana White to decide who actually ends up facing ‘Rocky’. What do you think? Who will be Leon Edwards’ next opponent? Let us know in the comments.