From ignored to undeniable – How Leon Edwards turned the tables on his opponents
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Jorge Masvidal AND Leon Edwards (Image Courtesy: UFC)
Leon Edwards is currently the king of the UFC welterweight division and is expected to keep that title for some time. After Edwards became the champion, he has been in high demand with every other fighter trying his best to get a shot at him. However, Edwards was never used to getting that attention earlier.
When Edwards was lower in the rankings and was calling out fighters such as Jorge Masvdial and Colby Covington, they ignored him frequently. Masvidal who already had a scuffle with Edwards never appreciated him and didn’t want to fight. When asked about fighting Edwards, Masvidal used to mock him.
Similarly, Colby Covington never gave credit to Edwards as a potential challenge and didn’t even agree with his existence. “Who’s that never heard of him,” said Covington in an interview.
Things were like this until, ‘Rocky’ shocked the whole world at UFC 286 by ending Kamaru Usman’s winning streak and becoming the new champ. He was able to do what Covington and Masvidal failed to do twice.
Related: Why Leon Edwards nickname is ‘Rocky’?
How Leon Edwards shut down his challengers and changed the whole dynamic of the story
Now that Leon Edwards is the champ, Jorge Masvidal has been frequently asking for a title shot. Edwards brought out the old incident that took place at UFC London backstage and asked Edwards to stop being a coward and take the fight. However, Edwards didn’t fall for it and asked ‘Gamebred’ to get to his knees and beg for the title shot.
Edwards in an interview with Ariel Helani also revealed how much he’s enjoying Masvidal’s obsession to get the fight with Edwards. “100% (I enjoy). I remember when I was meant to fight Woodley and it got canceled, and (Masvidal) was like, ‘I’m not worried about you now, you have to go to the back of the line.’ Now he’s like, begging,” Edwards said. “‘I’ll fight you in London.’ Mate, I called you out for like three years. You went running and went hiding. Now, it feels good to be the king. Now I’m on top.”
On the other hand, Covington who never considered Edwards as a challenger recently made weight at the weigh-ins to be the backup fighter for Edwards vs Usman at UFC 286.
Continue Reading:
Leon Edwards vs Kamaru Usman: UFC 286 Full Fight Card, Where to Watch, TV Channel and Betting Odds
Chaos in London! Fans shocked as UFC 286 backup fighter reveals himself during weigh-ins
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Soumya Ranjan
(2167 Articles Published)