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UFC analyst and former welterweight title challenger Dan Hardy says he’s expecting to see Leon Edwards on top form against Tyron Woodley at UFC London.
UFC analyst and former welterweight title challenger Dan Hardy says he’s expecting to see Leon Edwards on top form against Tyron Woodley at UFC London.
Would Leon Edwards rather have Kamaru Usman or Jorge Masvidal as UFC welterweight champion?
[autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] says he has assurances of a welterweight title shot if he beats Tyron Woodley at UFC on ESPN+ 29 in March. If that comes to fruition, he has two massive potential scenarios on hand.
Edwards (18-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) said he’s not looking past Woodley (19-4-1 MMA, 9-3-1 UFC), but he’s very confident he’s going to take out the former UFC champ to extend his winning streak to nine fights. It seems a title fight between [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] and [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] could play out in the meantime, and Edwards would be keen to fight the winner.
He’s somewhat torn on who he’d like to face, though. Edwards has an ongoing beef with Masvidal (35-13 MMA, 12-6 UFC) stemming from a physical exchange following UFC on ESPN+ 5 in March 2019 that saw “Gamebred” punch the Brit after they each scored big wins at the event. Edwards has been eager to have that matchup, and a belt on the line would make it even bigger.
“I feel that’s probably the biggest fight, against Masvidal, because of what happened between us backstage with all the history we have and all the bad blood we have,” Edwards told MMA Junkie.
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Masvidal may be the biggest fight, but is it the one Edwards wants most? “Rocky” has lost one time in the past five years, and that was a unanimous decision to Usman (16-1 MMA, 11-0 UFC) at UFC on FOX 17 in December 2015. Neither man has lost since, and Edwards would love the chance to not only exact revenge on Usman, but take his belt, as well.
“I’d like Usman to have the belt because he’s the last person to beat me,” Edwards said. “I’d like to go out there and revenge the loss against the last person to beat me and then win the world title at the same time. That’s a fairy tale.”
However it shakes out, Edwards said he’ll be happy with the situation. Chances are he will see both men at some point, because Edwards said the belt is just kept warm until after he beats Woodley in the UFC on ESPN+ 29 headliner on March 18 at The O2 in London.
“I couldn’t give two (expletives), for real,” Edwards said. “I’ll see what happens. I’ll be champion no matter what. I’m just focused on Tyron Woodley for London, putting on a world-class performance, and stopping him to go on to fight for the world title.”
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For the fifth consecutive year, the UFC is visiting London, and tickets go on sale for the event this week.
For the fifth consecutive year, the UFC is visiting London, and tickets go on sale for the event this week.
“UFC on ESPN+ 29: Woodley vs. Edwards” takes place March 21 at The O2 and features a welterweight headliner between former UFC champion [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] and British contender [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag]. Woodley (19-4-1 MMA, 9-3-1 UFC) currently sits at No. 2 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie welterweight rankings, while Edwards (18-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) checks in at No. 8.
The entire event streams on ESPN+.
Tickets for UFC on ESPN+ 29 are on sale to the general public Friday at 10 a.m. GMT local time (5 a.m. ET) through AXS.com and Ticketmaster.co.uk.
UFC Fight Club members can purchase tickets Wednesday via UFCFightClub.com beginning at 10 a.m. GMT local time. UFC e-newsletter subscribers can purchase tickets Thursday at 10 a.m. GMT local time.
There is a six-ticket limit during the pre-sale. Purchases during the general sales period can include up to eight tickets. Prices start at £50 (approx. $65 USD), while cageside seats are £210 (approx. $273 USD).
The latest UFC on ESPN+ 29 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 1 p.m. ET)
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“Gorgeous” George and “Goze” discuss the latest MMA news and notes, including (surprise!) Conor McGregor, and Cub Swanson joins the show.
[protected-iframe id=”78acd82067da4c9430ffaad2e233fa1c-58289362-58194562″ info=”https://omny.fm/shows/mma-junkie-radio/ep-3-020-cub-swanson-interview-jon-kavenaughh-want/embed” width=”100%” height=”180″ frameborder=”0″]
Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here!
On Episode No. 3,020 of the podcast, the fellas react to the latest MMA news and notes. Surprise, surprise! [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] comes up!
THE RUNDOWN
Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio, or check it out above. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.
“He wants to be that killer; he’s going to be that killer,” said his manager, Abe Kawa.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] was very against heading into enemy territory to fight [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] but ultimately took the fight and will headline UFC on ESPN+ 29 in London.
It’s a decision that Woodley’s manager, Abraham Kawa, says the former welterweight champion made because he’s eager to get back in the octagon.
“I think Tyron looked at the landscape, and he said to himself, ‘OK, I got to get back to the mix of things,” Kawa told MMA Junkie. “We forget: Tyron always fought the No. 1 contender every single time … when we’re now living in the day and age of everybody (calling out) the big superstar, we pick and choose who it’s OK for and who it’s not OK for.”
Woodley (19-4-1 MMA, 9-3-1 UFC) has not competed since losing the 170-pound title to Kamaru Usman last March at UFC 235. It will be over a year since he last competed when he faces the streaking Edwards on March 21.
And Kawa thinks that, despite Woodley fighting in Edwards’ home country, he’s clearly the A-side. He hopes Woodley can take a page out of Jorge Masvidal’s book and silence the British fans.
“Tyron ended up with Leon, if that makes any sense,” Kawa said. “Leon, I think has the same problem Kamaru does. People don’t relate; it’s very hard for them to sell a pay-per-view. Great fighters, I take nothing from their skill. I’m not bashing them. I’m saying when Tyron has more fans than that person’s own country … I told Tyron, ‘If you go to London and knock out Leon, you did the same thing Jorge Masvidal did a year ago.’ The only difference is, Masvidal walked in there and took fans from (Darren) Till compared to Tyron going into London and giving fans to Leon.”
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Edwards (18-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) has taken numerous jabs at Woodley, mocking his rap songs and claiming that Woodley was cornered by the UFC to take the fight.
The way Kawa sees it, Woodley is just hungry to remind people of the days he was stopping one contender after the other and defending his title four times.
“He’s is completely and utterly just, ‘I’m going to kill people,'” Kawa said. “That’s where Tyron is right now mentally. He wants to be that killer. He’s going to be that killer, so I don’t think it matters anymore who, where and what. It just doesn’t matter to him anymore. He wants to fight.”
To hear more from Kawa on Woodley, watch the video above. You can also check out the full interview below.
[jwplayer VJ7OrdDd-RbnemIYZ]
Leon Edwards knows he wasn’t Tyron Woodley’s first choice for his next opponent.
[autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] knows he wasn’t [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag]’s first choice for his next opponent. The matchup was the UFC’s first choice, though, and that’s why it’s happening at UFC on ESPN+ 29 in March.
Woodley (19-4-1 MMA, 9-3-1 UFC) made it clear in recent months that a matchup wasn’t at the top of the list. Add in the fact it takes place in Edwards’ (18-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) home country of England? The former UFC titleholder made it crystal clear, claiming he was would only leave the U.S. to go on vacation.
The end result, however, was Woodley signing to fight Edwards for the welterweight headliner at UFC on ESPN+ 29, which takes place March 21 at The O2 in London and streams on ESPN+. How did that happen? Edwards said the UFC brass left Woodley with an ultimatum.
“Tyron was trying to make excuses of why he shouldn’t come overseas and why he didn’t want to come to London,” Edwards told MMA Junkie. “The UFC had to force him into it. They gave him no choice but to take the fight. He was forced into it. He knows it’s a dangerous fight for him, and after I beat him, where does he go? He knows the risk.
“I went to Vegas and I had a meeting with Sean Shelby and Dana White and they were saying, ‘You’ve got no other options.’ He would fight me or they were going to move him out of the rankings. He had no choice. He had to take the fight. There’s no other way for him to go. He can’t wait out for a title shot because that’s not going to happen. It’s the only fight that makes sense for the division.”
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On Dec. 25, MMA Junkie first reported the fight between Edwards and Woodley for the main event in London. The pair has since traded barbs on social media, with Edwards taking shots at Woodley’s music career. Woodley was clearly irritated by the putdowns, and Edwards said he saw that as a weakness he’s going to continue to poke fun at up until fight night.
“It’s easy to wind him up,” Edwards said. “It’s easy to get into his head. I’ve got no problem playing that all the way through fight camp. It’s fun. He’s taking it seriously. His music is (expletive), so I don’t know why he’s getting mad. I don’t understand.”
The matchup with Woodley is definitely the biggest fight of Edwards’ career thus far. He said he signed a new multi-fight UFC contract ahead of the event, and it includes championship language that will benefit him if he fights for the title.
With an eight-fight winning streak to his name, Edwards was pushing for a title shot after beating ex-titleholder Rafael dos Anjos at UFC on ESPN 4 in June. He didn’t get the next shot at champion Kamaru Usman (who was the last person to hand him a loss), but if “Rocky” can beat his second consecutive former champion at UFC on ESPN+ 29, he said there will be no denying him.
“After this fight I’ll be ranked No. 1 and on a nine-fight win streak,” Edwards said. “That’s second most to the champion right now. There’s no bigger fight. I would have loved the title fight or (Jorge) Masvidal, but this is the next best thing. Fighting Tyron Woodley, a former world champion, some people consider him the best welterweight of all time.
“It’s good to be able to go out there and prove my case that I’m leaps above these guys. I look forward to going out there and putting on the performance of my life. I’ll show I’m better than these guys and it’s going to be good.”
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The UFC’s return to London finally has a main event as former champ Tyron Woodley meets England’s Leon Edwards in March.
The UFC’s annual return to London finally has a main event set.
After some struggles to get the fight to the finish line, former UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] and surging contender [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] will headline UFC on ESPN+ 29 in March.
MMA Junkie, which initially reported the fight was in the works last month, confirmed the booking following a Thursday night report by UFC broadcast partner ESPN, which cited UFC president Dana White.
UFC on ESPN+ 29 takes place March 21 at The O2 in London. The card is expected to stream on ESPN+.
Woodley (19-4-1 MMA, 9-3-1 UFC) last competed at UFC 235 last March when he dropped the 170-pound title to Kamaru Usman. The defeat ended a reign of four successful defenses for “The Chosen One,” who has been holding out for a big fight since.
Despite claiming he wouldn’t go overseas to fight, Woodley will indeed take on Edwards (18-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC), who is currently riding an eight-fight winning streak dating back to a unanimous decision loss of his own to Usman in December 2015.
After beating Rafael dos Anjos at UFC on ESPN 4 in June, the Brit will attempt to take out his second former UFC champ in a row when he meets Woodley in home soil.
The latest UFC on ESPN+ 29 lineup includes:
More than a year after losing the UFC welterweight title, Tyron Woodley will finally get back to work against Leon Edwards.
More than a year after losing the UFC welterweight title, [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] will finally get back to work in March.
Woodley (19-4-1 MMA, 9-3-1 UFC) is expected to make his return to the octagon when he meets streaking contender [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] (18-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) in the main event of UFC London, which takes place March 21 at The O2 in London.
MMA Junkie verified agreements for the 170-pound main event are in place with multiple persons close to the situation. The persons requested anonymity because the UFC has yet to make the matchup official.
In addition, Woodley took to social media and essentially confirmed the pairing, also sending a message to Edwards (via Instagram):
Merry Christmas 🎁🎄 @leon_edwardsmma watch what you ask for. Now you about to get fucked clean up at the crib!
–
#NoChills #UFCLondon #March21 #MainEvent #Redemption –
@ufc send me that lil fancy flier to post!
Woodley last competed at UFC 235 in March 2019 when he dropped UFC gold to Kamaru Usman. The defeated ended a reign of four successful defenses for “The Chosen One,” who has since been pushing for a rematch with Usman or a top-tier name in the division.
He didn’t necessarily get either of those, and will seemingly somewhat begrudgingly take on Edwards, who has put together an eight-fight winning streak dating back to a unanimous decision loss to Usman in December 2015.
The latest UFC London lineup now includes:
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MMA Junkie’s John Morgan, “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” unpack the latest MMA news and notes in Episode 7 of “Spinning Back Clique.”
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” react to what transpired at UFC 245 and preview what’s to come for a few big names in 2020.
Show rundown:
For answers to all of those questions, watch Episode 7 of “Spinning Back Clique.”
Kamaru Usman is willing to fight the next best contender after defending his welterweight title against Colby Covington at UFC 245.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] is willing to fight the next best contender after defending his welterweight title against Colby Covington at UFC 245.
However, it doesn’t appear he thinks [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] (35-13 MMA, 12-6 UFC) is the most deserving man.
Usman (16-1 MMA, 11-0 UFC) achieved the first defense of his 170-pound title reign Saturday when he stopped Covington (15-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) by fifth-round TKO in the event headliner, which took place at T-Mobile Arena. As with any champion, questions immediately surfaced about what’s next after a big win.
Masvidal is arguably the 2019 “Fighter of the Year,” but despite that, Usman pointed to [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] (18-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) as a more worthy foe.
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“There’s a lot of tough guys in the division – a lot, a lot of tough guys,” Usman told reporters at the UFC 245 post-fight news conference. “I mean, let’s be honest: If you’re talking about someone who is deserving, Leon Edwards hasn’t lost since he fought me. He’s been finishing guys and he’s now found myself in a position that I found myself in a little over a year ago, is everyone knew I was one of the toughest guys in the division and they didn’t want to take that gamble and risk on me.”
UFC president Dana White said post-fight at UFC 245 that he thinks Usman vs. Masvidal would be a “massive” matchup, but did not commit to anything. Usman said he ultimately won’t decline any matchup the promotion gives him, but he certainly did not echo White’s sentiments about Masvidal.
“Right now I’m sitting above and looking at all these guys and they’re kind of, you know, all in that pool – all very tightly contested,” Usman said. “They just need to break out, and I’m waiting for whoever Dana and the organization feel is next for me and I’ll be happy. I’ll never turn down a fight, and especially now. I’m the champion. If they said this is the next guy, then hey, this is the next guy. But I need to go home. I need the love of my daughter. This has taken a lot.”
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