Last August, Leon Edwards shocked the world by dethroning Kamaru Usman as the UFC Welterweight Champion and the number one pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.
Trailing by three rounds to one on all three judge’s scorecards, Edwards found a head kick from the gods which sent the reigning champion to the shadow realm and secured the gold for the Jamaican-born Brit.
Back in March, the pair faced off in a rematch inside London’s O2 Arena, with the newly-minted champ aiming to prove his victory was no fluke.
Taking the rematch represented a huge risk for Edwards. There could be no denying that he was outclassed for long periods in the initial fight in Salt Lake City, with his coach saying “You’re letting him bully your son” in between rounds.
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And guess what? Sometimes it’s rewarding.
The champion managed to retain his crown in front of a raucous home crowd in the United Kingdom’s capital city.
Despite having a point docked for holding the fence and preventing a takedown, Edwards managed to secure a narrow but deserved majority decision victory and secured his spot as the best lightweight on the planet.
The question now is, who’s next?
Jorge Masvidal vs Gilbert Burns
At the culmination of his second consecutive victory over The Nigerian Nightmare, Leon Edwards stated in the post-fight press conference that he would like to fight Jorge Masvidal next, provided he can get through his next test.
The said test came during UFC 287 as Masdival faced off against Gilbert Burns in a fight that would have guaranteed fireworks. It was a fight that Masvidal is not guaranteed to win.
The Miami, Florida native was coming off the back of three consecutive losses, two in title tilts against Usman and the third against nemesis Colby Covington.
His Brazilian opponent has also suffered losses recently. One came against the now-dethroned Usman and the second against Khamzat Chimaev. However, the man they call Durinho gave the Swedish monster all he could handle in their clash in April of last year.
It's clear to see why the champ wants Masvidal to get the W and face him next. The pair have history, and during a backstage altercation after UFC London in March 2019, the brash American famously hit Edwards with a “three-piece and a soda.”
Edwards hasn’t forgotten, and he certainly hasn’t forgiven. Although hoping to get his hands on Masvidal sooner rather than later, Jorge actually lost in UFC 287 and retired.
Colby Covington vs Khamzat Chimaev
Whereas Edwards wanted to face Masvidal next, UFC head honcho Dana White wants the champion to face off against another brash American in the form of Colby ‘Chaos’ Covington.
There will have been no one—perhaps outside of Edwards himself—to see Kamaru Usman usurped as the UFC Welterweight Champion than Covington.
The 35-year-old has suffered just two losses in the last seven years, and both came into the hands of the now-dethroned former champion.
With Usman now an afterthought, Chaos’ hopes of a title shot have been reignited. However, he has fought just once in the last year, and Edwards feels that the former UFC Interim Welterweight Champion is undeserving of a title shot.
To be honest, we’re inclined to agree with him.
While Covington sat on the sidelines, has found himself in a very public spat with Khamzat Chimaev. The Chechan-born Swede is undefeated in the UFC and has recently announced that he will remain welterweight after failing to make weight at UFC 279 last September.
At that event, he was scheduled to face off with Nate Diaz in a mouth-watering bout, however, he came in a staggering 7.5 pounds overweight and faced off with Kevin Holland, submitting him in the first round.
The fight to make is surely Covington vs Chimaev. Despite not being a title fight, the bout would do huge pay-per-view numbers and make the company a ton of money. The winner could face off with Edwards after he handles his business with Masvidal.
Belal Muhammad vs Kamaru Usman
Following his two consecutive losses to Edwards, Usman will now go to the back of the welterweight queue.
One man who has been an afterthought in the 170-pound division is Belal Muhammad. ‘Remember the Name’ is unbeaten in his last nine fights (one no contest) and has built up a stellar resume.
The perfect fight to make for both fighters next would be against each other. Should Muhammad pick up the victory, he would solidify his position in the division and most certainly be deserving of a shot at Edwards.
Should Usman get the W, he will drag himself back into championship contention, and an unprecedented fourth fight against the current champ could well be on the cards.
