Leon Edwards is set to take on challenger Colby Covington at UFC 296 for the UFC welterweight title. Edwards became the champion when he defeated Kamaru Usman at UFC 278. The spectacular head-kick knockout in the final moments of the 5th round showcased the dangerous striking skills of Edwards as he avenged his prior loss against Usman from 2015. He later defended his title against Usman in a rematch at UFC 286, where he secured a unanimous decision victory.
Edwards currently holds an undefeated streak since the Usman loss in 2015. And with the always-game ‘Chaos’ now looking to rip the title away from ‘Rocky’s grasp, let’s explore his undefeated streak and other details surrounding the British champion!
Leon Edwards is currently on a double-digit win streak
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Leon Edwards was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and his family later moved to England when he was 13. He started training in MMA when he was 17 when his mother enrolled him in an MMA club to help him stay out of trouble in the harsh community they lived in.
Edwards made his debut in the UFC at UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Saint Preux in 2014. He lost the fight via split decision but rebounded with a knockout victory over Seth Baczynski in 2015. Edwards added another win to his record before losing a unanimous decision to Kamaru Usman in December 2015.
After the Usman loss, ‘Rocky’ went on a tear through the welterweight division that saw him quickly cement himself as a top contender in the weight class. Since his 2015 loss to Usman, Edwards has maintained a spotless record, securing 11 wins in the division with just 1 draw (no contest)!
He holds notable victories over fighters like Gunnar Nelson, Donald Cerrone, Nate Diaz, and Rafael Dos Anjos. However, in a recent interview with Sky Sports, Edwards claimed that he is now looking to challenge himself in another weight class! He stated, “I feel like me going out and being double-champ, first-ever from the UK to do it, that’s definitely one of my goals.”
But another contender and veteran of the welterweight division has now come out and slammed Edwards for his aspirations of being ‘champ-champ’!
‘Wonderboy’ doesn’t approve of Edwards’ ‘champ-champ’ goal
Leon Edwards is aiming for the middleweight title at UFC 300, but another welterweight title contender isn’t convinced of the move. Stephen Thompson, known as ‘Wonderboy’, recently disapproved of Edwards’s intentions, urging him to clean out the welterweight division before moving up.
Thompson in a recent interview with Submission Radio stated, “He’s only been the champ for one fight, and after those two fights, I feel like if you’re going to go up to 185, give the guys at 170 a chance to get up.”
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He further went on to elaborate how a champion should at least defend the title 3-4 times and “clean the division out” before moving up a weight class. Thompson also stated that he believes there are still interesting matchups available for Edwards in the welterweight division.
‘Wonderboy’ is set to face rising welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov at the UFC 296 where Edwards will feature in the main event. He revealed in the interview that if he secures a win against the dangerous Rakhmonov, he has his eyes set on the champion next! Thompson confirmed, “I’m going to let everybody know: UFC, I’m coming for Leon.”
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As the UFC 296 main event approaches, it will be interesting to see how the 170 lbs division shapes up with the highly anticipated matchups promising a shake-up for the UFC welterweights!
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