Fans were somewhat surprised to see that Leon Edwards accepted a fight with Khamzat Chimaev. Now welterweight contender explains the decision, and how a win here can help his career moving forward.
Things have been quite difficult for Edwards since his fight with Tyron Woodley was canceled at the beginning of the pandemic. He struggled to get a fight with people that he was calling out, and was not interested in facing the opponents the UFC offered, leading to the UFC to remove him from his place at number 3 in the welterweight rankings. However he was reinstated into those rankings shortly thereafter, when it was announced that he had taken a fight with undefeated Dagestani prospect Khamzat Chimaev.
Not Worried About The Hype
It was somewhat surprising that Leon Edwards took the fight with Khamzat Chimaev, given how hyped Chimaev is, and the 8-fight winning streak that led Leon to his place in the rankings. However as “Rocky” explained in a recent interview, he is not concerned about the hype. He says that he is aware that the UFC is putting him against Chimaev to boost the Dagestani’s profile, but he says that the promotion has wanted to see him lose for a long time.
“Yeah for sure, 100%,” Edwards said when asked if the UFC was using him to boost Chimaev. “I feel like they’ve been doing that for the last like 8 fights. They wanted me to lose. But I can not be beat… He will not beat me, I can guarantee you. I can’t wait to show it.”
Leon Edwards Will Not Be Denied
That being said, the only reason Khamzat Chimaev, who is just 3-0 in the UFC, is getting a fight with Leon Edwards is because the UFC is hyping him up to be the next big thing. That is why, despite Khamzat not even being ranked, Leon feels like this was a good fight for him to take. He thinks that a win here would secure his place as next in line for the title shot, in ways that fighting someone like Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson wouldn’t, simply due to the hype around Chimaev.
“I think if I fought ‘Wonderboy’ it does nothing for my career,” Edwards explained. “I think I’d be in the same position as I’m in now if I went out there and fought ‘Wonderboy.’ People would be like ‘Oh, blah blah blah’ and make excuses, right? I don’t think they can make excuses after the way they’re building up Khamzat. I can’t see what they can say after this.”
Who do you think will win between Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev?
