“He didn’t take nothing away from it,” Leon Edwards defends Conor McGregor’s status in MMA against interviewer’s dislike

Leon Edwards has utmost respect for Conor McGregor for what he has done for the sport.

“He didn’t take nothing away from it,” Leon Edwards defends Conor McGregor’s status in MMA against interviewer’s dislike

Leon Edwards praises Conor McGregor in front of Simon Jordan who dislikes him (via IMAGO/Instagram)

Leon Edwards aspires to become a double champion in the future and had voiced out his interest earlier. As such, he gave his opinion on the man who paved the way for the champ-champ status, Conor McGregor. Sharing his thoughts, he had to defend ‘The Notorious’ against the interviewer Simon Jordan, who disliked McGregor.

Simon Jordan interviewed UFC champion Leon Edwards in his latest episode of Upfront with Simon Jordan. During a particular segment, he expressed his dislikeness for Conor McGregor and asked Edwards for his view. As such, he spoke highly of ‘The Notorious’ and explained how he helped the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. Here is what he said:

I think he's great for the sport, brought the sport forward. What he's achieved in the sport as well, you can't take away from him. He did become the first-ever two-division world champion. It definitely helped the sport, he didn't take nothing away from it, definitely gave more like pushing it for the mainstream.
Leon Edwards (via Up Front with Simon Jordan)
YouTube video

Although Leon Edwards praised Conor McGregor, the interviewer Simon Jordan explained why he disliked him. He mentioned instances of ‘The Notorious’ getting involved in brawls like the UFC bus attack and overboard trash talks. As such, he claimed it didn’t help people’s perception of MMA fighters. However, ‘Rocky’ refrained from commenting about McGregor’s personal life and just stated he judged the Irishman for his professional career.

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Conor McGregor is to return in 2024 after a long hiatus from fighting. As such, the expectations for the return of ‘The Notorious’ were sky-high. According to McGregor’s announcement, he would face Michael Chandler in June 2024. As for Leon Edwards, he was rumored to defend his title against Belal Muhammad next, possibly in UFC 300.

Conor McGregor praised Leon Edwards for his title win

Leon Edwards faced Kamaru Usman in UFC 278, intending to grab the welterweight title. However, things didn’t go as planned after the first round, and he was arguably losing the fight. But, he turned the tables in the last round to knock Usman out cold with a picturesque head kick. As such, he produced one of the greatest comeback wins in a title fight. This earned praise from the former double champion Conor McGregor.

Conor McGregor praises Leon Edwards' finish against Kamaru Usman
Conor McGregor praises Leon Edwards’ finish against Kamaru Usman (via Pinterest/Newsroompost)

Conor McGregor shared his excitement for Leon Edwards attaining UFC gold in his X account. He claimed Eadwards’ win deserved the ‘Comeback of the Year’ award and more. Further, he pointed out how perfect stars aligned with the commentary, the timing of the kick, the knockout, the post-fight speech, and more. As such, he quoted Edwards and said the iconic lines.

Leon Edawards’ title win and post-fight speech soon became iconic moments in the UFC. Now, ‘Rocky’ had already defended his title twice and looked forward to his next matchup. As such, rumors had Edwards facing Belal Muhammad in UFC 300. But the UFC hasn’t announced it officially. Also, the welterweight champion eyed a second belt in his future if there were no worthy contenders in the division.

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