Leon Edwards believes he is close to another title shot with a significant victory in his home country.
“Rocky” is headlining UFC London against Sean Brady on March 22nd. This matchup came about after Edwards’ initial opponent, Jack Della Maddalena, was asked to challenge welterweight champion Belal Muhammad at UFC 315. Muhammad secured his title by a dominant decision win over Edwards last July. Edwards even sought a rematch when he learned Muhammad needed a title challenger for the upcoming May pay-per-view event.
“I learned about my replacement fight probably a couple of weeks prior,” Edwards mentioned on his YouTube vlog. “I had been in discussions with the UFC, trying to step in to fight Belal. However, I knew they had promoted London around me, so it would be challenging to remove me from the card and leave Jack on it. It would be odd to let Jack headline London.”
“So, we have a new opponent, Sean Brady, whose style I am familiar with and comfortable fighting. I am looking forward to it; it should be good.”
The fighter reshuffle was due to an injury to the No. 1 welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov. Muhammad was initially scheduled to defend his title against Rakhmonov at UFC 310 in December, but a bone infection forced Muhammad to withdraw. Although their rematch was never officially set, it was understood Rakhmonov was next in line, and his unavailability opened the door for Della Maddalena to face Muhammad instead.
Edwards thinks this shift at the top of the division is beneficial, especially for him if he delivers a strong performance against Brady at The O2 Arena.
“Also, Jack being chosen to fight for the title, I think it has opened up the division more,” Edwards stated. “If he wins, I believe that is the ideal next fight for me. If Belal defeats him, then a rematch is definitely on the cards as well.”
“I spoke to the UFC, and they informed me that this fight is a No. 1 contender fight. Whoever wins this, fights for the title. Well, when I win this, I fight for the title. That’s my aim. My aim is to reclaim that two-time world championship. Everyone knows the outcome of my fight with Belal wasn’t truly representative of me. Fighting at home, at 5 a.m. in the morning, many factors contributed to that performance. So, I am eager to get back in there and rectify everything, and I believe it all starts with Sean Brady.”
Muhammad responded to the clip on social media, warning Edwards that he will have to wait “three long years” before they fight again.
someone tell him he got three long years ahead of him
This is in reference to their feud that began in March 2021 when they first fought in the main event of a UFC APEX card. That fight ended in a no-contest due to an eye poke that left Muhammad unable to continue just 18 seconds into Round 2. Muhammad had to achieve five consecutive wins before being granted a rematch with Edwards at UFC 314 in July 2024.
