PHOENIX – If he’s not next in the on-deck circle to face the winner of the next UFC welterweight title fight, contender Leon Edwards wonders who else will be.
At UFC 263, Edwards (18-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) defeated Nate Diaz via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-47). The fight served as the first five-round, non-title, non-main event fight in promotional history. It also maintained Edwards’ six-year unbeaten streak, which has stretched across 10 fights.
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is expected to rematch bitter rival Colby Covington in 2021. After that, the future remains uncertain. Edwards thinks the opportunity to fight the winner is definitely his.
“I feel I should be next in line for the title shot,” Edwards said at a post-fight news conference. “That’s nine-in-a-row or 10-in-a-row. No one else is doing what I’m doing. I offered to fight everybody: Khamzat, Diaz, Belal. These guys aren’t in the top 10. I’m the only one saying, ‘Yes.’ Everyone else is, like, b*tching and sitting out and complaining. I’m the one that’s showing up, beating, and fighting these tough guys. I feel I deserve the next shot, for sure.”
After the decision was read, Usman (19-1 MMA, 14-0 UFC) wasn’t impressed – and he expressed as much in a comment he gave to ESPN.
“That don’t help you. I guess no one deserves it.”
Edwards, 29, responded and disagreed. In his eyes, he’s put his head down, gotten to work, and produced results. He also criticized Covington’s recent fights, which earned him a title shot.
“All of these guys make excuses,” Edwards said. “They know I’m the real deal. I’m the man for the title shot. They’re all b*tching and making excuses. They say, ‘He doesn’t deserve it.’ Then, who f*cking does? Covington doesn’t. Woodley got injured and now he deserves the title shot? I didn’t b*tch. I didn’t moan. I took my losses on the chin. I worked my way back to a nine-fight (winning) streak. Who else f*cking deserves it?”
UFC 263 took place Saturday at Gila River Arena. The main card streamed on pay-per-view after prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.
