Tag: Leon Edwards

Leon Edwards fires back at Tyron Woodley: Your rapping career is the biggest ‘L’

Leon Edwards may not fighting Tyron Woodley on Saturday, but it hasn’t stopped the two from trading barbs.

[autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] may not be fighting [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] on Saturday, but it hasn’t stopped the two from trading barbs.

Woodley mocked Edwards in a recent interview with ESPN, claiming that Edwards’ backstage altercation with Jorge Masvidal was the “biggest capital L” he’s seen in a long time.

But Edwards (18-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) thinks Woodley is just trying to grab headlines, taking aim at his rap career in response to his comments.

“His rapping career is the biggest ‘L,'” Edwards told MMA Junkie. “That’s the biggest ‘L’ – his rapping. I don’t know. I think he had nothing to say. He’s talking about something that happened two years ago. Like, no way he hasn’t seen that video. He’s just using something to mention to keep his name relevant, really. It is what it is. It doesn’t bother me.”

The two were scheduled to headline the March 21 card in London before the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

And with the travel ban restrictions forcing Edwards to withdraw, Woodley (19-4-1 MMA, 11-4-1 UFC) moved on and will be facing Gilbert Burns in Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 9 headliner, instead.

Edwards, who’s targeting a late summer return, thinks Woodley probably won’t be next for him, considering it’s highly unlikely the former champion opts to make a quick turnaround.

“If Woodley wins, he probably won’t fight now until the end of the year, so I cannot wait until that long to compete,” Edwards said. “I want to compete this summer – latest, early September. But I would prefer in the summertime. So if any of them fight – it depends who wins. If it’s Burns, it’s probably a faster turnaround. Woodley will probably be a longer situation.”

So should Burns emerge victorious, Edwards would consider fighting him next, but only under one condition.

“If it’s a guaranteed No. 1 contender spot,” Edwards said. “If not then no.”

Although there’s been quite a bit of back-and-forth between Edwards and Woodley, Edwards isn’t too bothered about potentially losing out on the fight.

“The only reason I was going to fight him was because he’s like, ‘I’m the best welterweight of all time,’ and I truly believe that I am better,” Edwards said. “So there’s no bad blood between me and him. I don’t know him. So all it is, I wanted to compete against him. He says he’s the best. I know I’m the best. So that’s all it was, and that’s where it stops.

Dana White reveals the three top contenders for Kamaru Usman’s title; rules out Conor McGregor

Dana White has quickly shut down the idea of a potential Kamaru Usman vs. Conor McGregor fight.

Dana White has quickly shut down the idea of a potential [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] fight.

UFC welterweight champion Usman (16-1 MMA, 11-0 UFC) and his team extended a title shot offer to McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) after negotiations with [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] seemingly hit an impasse.

The callout came after McGregor declared himself as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time and boasted about his accomplishments across three weight divisions.

Speaking to ESPN, White said Usman won’t be fighting McGregor next. Instead, it will be one of three top-ranked 170-pounders: Masvidal, [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] or [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag].

“Listen, the next title fight for Usman is gonna be one of these guys. It’s gonna be Colby, Masvidal, Edwards. It’s gonna be one of those guys,” White said. “It’s not gonna be Conor McGregor.”

“BMF” champion Masvidal (35-13 MMA, 12-6 UFC), who also seems keen on a rematch with Nate Diaz, has claimed that negotiations over a title fight have taken a standstill because Usman is asking for too much money.

But White says he’d prefer it if the UFC 170-pound title was defended first before any “BMF” business is revisited.

“I would rather see the UFC title be defended than the ‘BMF’ title,” he stated. “Anything’s possible, but those are the fights that make sense right now.”

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Leon Edwards fights to bring awareness to Birmingham stabbing epidemic

Leon Edwards is speaking out against a surge in knife crime after recent horrific incidents in his hometown.

[autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] is hoping to do his part in raising awareness on a recent surge in knife crime in England following horrific incidents in his hometown of Birmingham last week.

Three men were stabbed in broad daylight – two in a city park and one outside a shopping centre – with one man dying.

Edwards, a contender in the UFC welterweight division, thinks it’s about time people spoke out about the stabbing epidemic in his city, hoping to use his platform to spread awareness.

“It’s been going on for a very long time now,” Edwards told MMA Junkie. “Youth violence in the U.K., especially Birmingham and London knife crime, it’s been massive. And to see that video the other day – I know someone that knows the person that was stabbed in broad daylight. It was heartbreaking to actually see the video, because you hear about it all the time. On that same day, that video of that guy that got stabbed, there was another three stabbings in that same day. …

“I’m trying to bring awareness to it and trying to see what I could do to help, because I remember being in environments like that growing up as a kid with my friends, so I would love to try and help and put awareness to it.”

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Edwards managed to avoid that environment when he focused on martial arts at a young age. As one of the top welterweights in the world, he urges other kids to consider martial arts as a path to help steer them away from violent activities in the streets.

“When I grew up as a kid, I was involved in gangs and stuff like that,” Edwards said. “My mum took me to the gym to keep me away from my friends, to try and make a better life for myself. I stuck to it. It’s changed my life. It changed my family’s life, and I’ve been trying to push it, push it, push it in the U.K., to say martial arts has changed my life, (and) it could also change your life.”

Leon Edwards says he’s standing firm on next fight: ‘Title shot or No. 1 contender spot’

Leon Edwards may be on the verge of losing the Tyron Woodley fight, but that doesn’t mean he’ll accept anything less for his next outing.

[autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] may be on the verge of losing the Tyron Woodley fight, but that doesn’t mean he’ll accept anything less for his next outing.

Edwards (18-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) was scheduled to face Woodley in the main event of UFC on ESPN+ 29 in London, but the event was canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Ever since the cancellation of the fight, Woodley has no longer been interested in Edwards, as the former champion instead diverted his attention to Colby Covington, and even agreed to face him on April 18 before the card fell through.

So if Edwards isn’t able to get the Woodley fight rebooked, he’s happy to move on, just as long as it’s someone ahead of him in the rankings that will set him up for a title shot.

“For me, it has to be someone above me,” Edwards told MMA Junkie. “I’ve worked too hard to get into this position to be fighting Top 10. I’ve the second-most wins in the division compared to the champion, so I truly believe that I deserve a world title shot already. So the only way I’ll fight again is either (a) title shot or the No. 1 contender spot. There’s no point of me going backwards and fighting someone in the Top 10, because it’ll defeat the point of me getting to this position.

“(The) only reason I wanted to fight Woodley was because he was a former world champion and the Usman fight was taken away from me because of Masvidal, so anyone above me is the only option right now.”

Edwards’ last loss was over four years ago to current UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. Since then, he’s won his last eight in a row, with wins over the likes of Donald Cerrone, Gunnar Nelson, and Rafael dos Anjos.

The fight with Woodley still hasn’t officially slipped away, with both men yet to be booked for their next fight. They’ve continued to trade barbs on social media, too.

“He’s calling out the middleweight champion, he’s calling out lightweights, he’s calling out everyone, apart from me,” Edwards said. “I messaged him yesterday telling him you sound like a girl trying to get backstage with the popular guys, but these are fun for me. I’m having fun with it and it’s banter.”

Stephen Thompson looking for top-5 fight, open to a rematch with Jorge Masvidal

Stephen Thompson talks to MMA Junkie’s Farah Hannoun and time breaks down potential Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal fight

Stephen Thompson talks to MMA Junkie’s Farah Hannoun and time breaks down potential Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal fight

Video: UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards breaks down signature moves

Watch Leon Edwards break down some of the moves that have helped turn him into a UFC title contender.

[autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] is among the UFC’s biggest threats at 170 pounds.

The British fighter has climbed up the welterweight ranks and positioned himself as a top contender in the division. Edwards (18-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) has compiled eight wins in a row and many of them have come by his well-rounded game.

In the the video above, you can watch Edwards break down some of the techniques that have made him so successful in the octagon.

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Edwards was scheduled to fight former champion Tyron Woodley in the main event of UFC London on March 21, but the UFC was forced to cancel the event due to restrictions on public gatherings in the U.K. in efforts to contain coronavirus. The UFC plans to rebook he fight in the near future.

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Spinning Back Clique: How much is Khabib vs. Ferguson worth? What fights to make after the pandemic

How much would you pay to watch just the UFC 249 headliner, assuming Dana White can pull that off?

Welcome to “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. In this week’s episode, John Morgan, “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” unpack the fallout from fights canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, dare to talk a little UFC 249, and more.

SHOW RUNDOWN:

  • [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] was one of the big fights canceled (err, “postponed”) because of the coronavirus outbreak, but not before things got interesting with [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] volunteering to step in on six days’ notice before UFC London was ultimately scrapped. The question is: When the schedule gets up and running again, what’s the fight to make?
  • [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruick was another lost fight because of the coronavirus outbreak, as it was set to headline UFC Columbus this weekend. Similar question as before: Should Ngannou jump back into this matchup when we get back to normal, or should he consider some other option?
  • Despite UFC president Dana White insisting that UFC 249 will go on as planned on April 18 in a new location, there remains doubt – and rightfully so. But let’s just say for the sake of argument that White could make a miracle happen and give us [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] – but only that fight. Nothing else. How much would you be willing to pay for just that one fight?
  • There’s no denying that the coronavirus pandemic has put the sport on hold. How long exactly? Nobody knows. So for the time being, we offer a little advice to how fighters could help themselves with the conversations they’re having both behind the scenes and out in public.
  • All of that being said, there was some MMA action this past weekend at Cage Warriors 113 in Manchester, England, which took place behind closed doors. Did we identify any UFC-ready talent from the card?

For answers to all of those questions, watch Episode 21 of “Spinning Back Clique” above.

Dana White: All called-off fights, including Tyron Woodley vs. Leon Edwards, are being rescheduled

UFC president Dana White is sure that all the fights from three postponed events will happen once the promotion is up and running again.

UFC president Dana White assures that all fights that were called off will be rescheduled.

On Monday, White said the main event between former welterweight champion [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] and [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag], which was meant for this past weekend in London, will be rebooked for a later date, along with all the other fights.

The UFC was forced to postpone three events amid the global coronavirus pandemic. That included UFC on ESPN+ 29 in London, UFC on ESPN 8 in Columbus, Ohio, headlined by Francis Ngannou vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik, and UFC on ESPN+ 30 in Portland, Ore., headlined by Alistair Overeem vs. Walt Harris.

“All these fights are being rescheduled,” White told Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports. “Once we get the Khabib fight on, we’re rolling, man. We’re back in business, and we’re rolling. And like I told you earlier, everybody that’s going to fight because they want to, not because they have to.”

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The UFC fought hard to make UFC on ESPN+ 29 happen by trying to move the event from London to the U.S., but travel bans implemented to slow down the spread of COVID-19 made it impossible to pull off one week after the UFC went through with UFC on ESPN+ 28 in Brazil behind closed doors.

Colby Covington, who Woodley (19-4-1 MMA, 9-3-1 UFC) already has history with, had offered to step in on short notice after Edwards (18-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) technically was the one who withdrew. But a ramped-up public gathering ban in the U.S. put a halt to those plans.

While Woodley seemed to like the possibility of a potential Covington showdown, saying that he now only wants to fight him, Covington is no longer interested, and it appears the UFC is looking to rebook the Edwards fight.

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Triple Take: Which fighter loses out most from UFC postponing three cards?

Out of all the athletes who lost a UFC fight date due to the coronavirus outbreak, which one got the worst end of the situation?

The UFC postponed three events during March and April due to the coronavirus pandemic. UFC on ESPN+ 29 (London) on March 21, UFC on ESPN 8 (Columbus) on March 28 and UFC on ESPN+ 30 (Portland) on April 11 were all pushed back due to safety concerns over the ongoing crisis, causing more than 30 matchups to fall apart.

Out of all the athletes who lost out on the chance to compete, though, which one got the worst end of the situation? MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn, John Morgan and Nolan King give their opinion on the latest edition of Triple Take.

Mike Bohn: Leon Edwards loses

Even if the UFC opts to rebook the [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] vs. former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley fight that was originally planned as the UFC London main event, it seems unlikely the circumstances would be replicated. It was the perfect scenario for “Rocky,” who needed an eight-fight winning streak just to get to this opportunity. But now it’s hard to push away the feeling that disappointment is headed his way.

Edwards only got the matchup with Woodley after a lot of headache. Woodley did not want the fight from the outset, and said as much publicly. He wanted a bigger name and a bigger fight, but with the way the matchups unfolded at the top of the welterweight division, Edwards was the only logical option for “The Chosen One” after being out since March 2019, when he lost UFC gold to Kamaru Usman.

It was only a matter of hours from the time the fight was called off for Colby Covington to slide into the picture. He offered to step in as a replacement against Woodley, but it never came close to reality because the UFC ultimately had to scratch the event altogether. Since then, though, Woodley has been beating the drum to fight Covington next, and has all but pushed Edwards’ name to the wayside.

The UFC will ultimately decide who it decides to offer Woodley next, but even if it’s Edwards again, the moment in time can’t be recaptured.

Edwards was not only about to get the biggest fight of his life, but he was going to get it on home soil. Headlining a combat sports card at the famous O2 Arena in London is a dream scenario for any Brit fighter, and Edwards was about to get that. Considering the UFC only goes to London once a year, the odds of Edwards landing that same venue are slim to none.

The timing of the fight was also in Edwards’ favor. With welterweight champ Usman likely to make his next defense in the summer, a victory for Edwards would have put him in position to either serve as a title-fight back-up, or challenge the winner. But now Edwards is the odd man out, and it’s entirely possible he loses a deserved opportunity because this single fight fell apart.

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