Tag: Leon Edwards

Video: UFC 304 ‘Countdown’ for Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad 2

Check out the UFC 304 “Countdown” video preview offering a special look at Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad 2.

Did you miss the debut of UFC 304 “Countdown” or just want to watch it again? Check out the main event preview now.

The segment takes a special look at the rematch between welterweight champion [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] (21-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) and [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC).

UFC 304 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at the Co-op Live in Manchester, England. “Countdown” goes behind the scenes with the two fighters, and you can watch the full segment above. And don’t miss the entire episode in the video below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

Santiago Ponzinibbio: Shavkat Rakhmonov the biggest threat to UFC champion Leon Edwards

UFC welterweight veteran Santiago Ponzinibbio believes Shavkat Rakhmonov poses the biggest threat to Leon Edwards’s title reign.

[autotag]Santiago Ponzinibbio[/autotag] thinks one man specifically has a good shot at dethroning UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag].

Ponzinibbio, a veteran of the UFC’s 170-pound division and analyst for UFC Español, sees Edwards as a solid fixture of the top of the weight class and sees him getting past most challengers except one – [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag].

“I think Shavkat is the most difficult fighter,” Ponzinibbio told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “I think he’s the most difficult, but again, anything can happen in this sport, and that’s why it’s so beautiful. It’s always a coin toss.

“But Shavkat looks good. There’s also Jack Della Maddalena, Ian Garry, who are good prospects, but I don’t know if they have the complete game to take the title from Leon Edwards. But let’s see what happens.”

Ponzinibbio (29-7 MMA, 11-6 UFC) returns to the octagon this Saturday after being out for over a year. He takes on fellow veteran Muslim Salikhov (19-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC) in the co-main event of UFC on ESPN 59, which goes down at Ball Arena in Denver.

Edwards doesn’t fight long after, as he’s set to defend his title later this month against Belal Muhammad in the main event of UFC 304 in Manchester, England. Ponzinibbio sees the champion keeping his title.

“He’ll be fighting at home, so I see him as the favorite,” Ponzinibbio said. “Leon Edwards manages distance very well, and he’s a southpaw that fights very long. He’s got an excellent takedown defense. Look at how much Usman struggled to just get to the takedown and if he’d get there, he would defend it. But he wouldn’t even let him get to initiate a takedown because of how well he managed distance. His faints, how he exits after he strikes. So yeah, I think standup-wise, he’s more complete than Belal. His kicks are better, he’s longer, I just see him better on the feet.

“I think Belal is going to feel a bit lost on the feet and look for the takedowns like he did against Thompson, and Leon Edwards should be able to deal with that. I’m picking the champion. He takes this one.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 59.

Michael Page: Leon Edwards, Shavkat Rakhmonov ‘kill’ Ian Machado Garry

Michael Page doesn’t see championship potential in Ian Machado Garry.

[autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] doesn’t see championship potential in [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag].

Garry (15-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) remained unbeaten when he edged out Page last month at UFC 303. He was able to outgrapple “MVP” and land a pivotal takedown late in Round 3 to secure the win.

Garry expressed interest in facing [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag] next, but Page (22-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) doesn’t see him winning that fight – or being the one to dethrone welterweight champion [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag].

“Not at all, no,” Page said on The MMA Hour. “Because if that’s the game you’re going to go when you get a decent striker, then Leon is going to kill you anyway, then Shavkat is going to kill you anyway. There’s a few guys in there that I just don’t see him surpassing. He went a bit more tactical and even in some of the areas, he didn’t feel massively strong. I’m not even trying to be disrespectful to him because again, he’s done his job, he was smart about how he kind of went by it.

“But for me, regardless, this game for me is about combat. It’s about fighting. Not about stealing wins. Even like I said, that last round, I didn’t necessarily need to stand up or need to let him stand up. I could’ve stayed there and just dragged it out and potentially got a better score in the third round and maybe that would’ve swayed it, but that’s not the game I’m in. I’m in a combat game. Like, I want to cause damage, I want to hurt people.”

So what’s Garry’s ceiling in Page’s opinion? A perennial welterweight contender.

“I don’t see him progressing to the top,” Page said. “I think he’s talented. I think he’ll always be around there – top 10, top five – and then he’ll keep losing out to certain people. But he is still talented, and obviously he’s got a loads of time to progress and get better anyway.”

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Leon Edwards open to Islam Makhachev fight but also eyes middleweight: ‘Why not chase greatness?’

Leon Edwards wants to climb the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings by challenging himself even more.

[autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] wants to climb the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings.

Edwards (21-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) defends his welterweight title in a rematch against Belal Muhammad in the UFC 304 headliner July 27 at Co-op Live in Manchester, England. Edwards is currently ranked No. 4 in the official pound-for-pound rankings and is aiming to ascend.

“That’s my goal,” Edwards told talkSPORT MMA. “Obviously my first goal was to achieve this (UFC title), and now I’ve got it. I’ve got to make another goal, what’s going to get me up in the morning to go out there and achieve what I’m trying to achieve – the numbers, the money, the pound-for-pound rankings.”

Lightweight champ [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) has expressed his interest in challenging for the welterweight title on numerous occasions, and Edwards can see that fight happening.

But Edwards has the desire to move up a weight class himself.

“For sure, for sure,” Edwards said of fighting Makhachev. “I feel like we’ve both got work to do within our division. I feel Islam just fought his first actual lightweight (Poirier). He fought Volk, but this is his first actual lightweight he’s fought within the division.

“He’s on a three defense streak. After I beat Belal, that will be my third, as well, so we’re both on similar paths. I can see that happening in the future. Also, I would like to move up, as well, and challenge for the middleweight belt hopefully. I feel like I’d have the size for it and the skill for it, so why not chase greatness?”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

Rafael dos Anjos on Islam Makhachev: ‘I don’t think he can beat Leon Edwards and become a double champion’

Rafael dos Anjos doesn’t like Islam Makhachev’s chances of becoming a UFC champ-champ.

[autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag] doesn’t like [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag]’s chances of becoming a UFC double champion.

Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC), who defended his lightweight title three times, has reiterated his interest in moving up to welterweight to challenge [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag].

Dos Anjos (32-16 MMA, 21-14 UFC), who has competed at both lightweight and welterweight throughout his career, thinks Makhachev would struggle with the size at a weight class above.

“He’s in a very good momentum right now, but I don’t think he can beat Leon Edwards and become a double champion,” dos Anjos told Submission Radio. “I just think like, the size difference. Leon is a much bigger guy, and we see smaller guys like (Dustin) Poirier giving Islam a lot of trouble.

“Poirier, he’s very tough, but he usually fights at 145, and he gave Islam a hard fight. Islam choked him in the fifth, I think. Poirier, you can see he’s a great fighter. I got a lot of respect for him. But if you see all his title defenses, like he got submitted, and I think he’s very weak on that point or like, his submission defense are not on point. Like, he always falls short on that aspect.”

Former lightweight champion dos Anjos plans on returning to 170 pounds after bouncing around weight classes in his past six fights. He has two particular names in mind for his next fight.

“I see Stephen Thompson, he doesn’t have a fight coming up,” dos Anjos said. “Kevin Holland doesn’t have a fight coming up. And those are good names, you know, like that make sense for me.”

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Why Marc Goddard won’t referee UFC champion Leon Edwards’ fights

Don’t expect Marc Goddard to referee UFC champion Leon Edwards’ upcoming fight – or any of his fights for that matter.

Don’t expect [autotag]Marc Goddard[/autotag] to referee UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag]’ upcoming fight – or any of his fights for that matter.

Edwards (21-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) defends his title in a rematch vs. Belal Muhammad (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) in the UFC 304 headliner July 27 at Co-op Live in Manchester, England.

The renowned referee has officiated some of the biggest fights in UFC history and has had the likes of Colby Covington disagree with him on certain stoppages. But that’s not why Goddard won’t referee Edwards’ fights. The Brit has a pretty valid reason.

“Here’s a classic case: Leon Edwards. You’ve never seen me referee Leon Edwards in the UFC, and you never will. Why? Because I was Leon Edwards’ first MMA coach,” Goddard said on the Overdogs Podcast. Way, way, way back when he was just an amateur. But again, the common-sense element for me, even though the link is so – who knew then when Leon first walked into that gym as a raw amateur, a raw novice with no experience? Now look at him.

“UFC welterweight champion of the world, but you’ve never saw me referee him, and you never will because we just keep it out of the way. I just don’t want any hassle, and I don’t want to be put in a predicament where I’m making a call that could go against him, so it’s both ways.”

There are other fights Goddard has preferred not to referee but for personal reasons. He gave an example of Israel Adesanya and when he refereed his title fight against Alex Pereira at UFC 281. Pereira scored a standing TKO of Adesanya, who immediately protested the stoppage. Adesanya insisted it was early, but Goddard stood by his call.

“Do you remember when Israel Adesanya fought Pereira for the second time in Miami? I specifically requested not to do that fight,” Goddard continued. “The reason I requested not to do the fight was because I was thinking about Izzy, I was thinking about him. Me and him are fine. I’ve refereed him since, I’ve refereed his fight with Sean Strickland, but I actually removed myself because what I didn’t want to do was for Izzy to have me walk into the dressing room.

“I was thinking of the fighter then. ‘This is his night, it’s all about him.’ I didn’t want to walk into that dressing room and him to have any form of negative connotation or something like that. So, I just thought that the right thing to do and the fairest thing to do by him is just stay out of the fight and give it to another ref, and I requested from the commission not to do it. There’s been a couple of incidents where there’s certain fighters that I would rather not (referee) for personal reasons.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

Nate Diaz has a few ideas for next bout – but a Jorge Masvidal trilogy isn’t one of them

Well, there’s one fight Nate Diaz doesn’t really want next.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] is always planning ahead.

Following his majority decision boxing match victory over [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] on Saturday at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., Diaz had multiple names on his brain – all of which are fighters he’s fought in the past.

During his in-ring interview with Brian Campbell, Diaz mentioned [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] as an idea for a next opponent, but later clarified why his former foe’s name was mentioned first.

“(Paul) was just off the top of my head that I would like to whip his ass,” Diaz told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “I’d like to get a win against [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag], who is the best fighter in the world right now at 170.”

Diaz’s next move remains unclear. Will it be boxing or MMA? No one knows. But one thing is for certain: Diaz wants the fights that will earn him the most respect – and the most money.

“That’s the only thing I’ve got in my head, is whoever thinks they’re f*cking tight can get their ass whooped,” Diaz said.

One fight that Diaz is not interested in, however, is the one he just had.

Despite their head-to-head lifetime combat sports record tied at one win apiece, Diaz rejects the notion the time is now for a third clash with Masvidal.

“That’s a whole other situation for later,” Diaz said. “I think we’re 1-0 on each other. He got a win in MMA and I got a win in boxing. Who knows what’s going to happen with him… but at some point, something.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Diaz vs. Masvidal 2.

Leon Edwards says Belal Muhammad’s confidence heading into UFC 304 is ‘deluded’

UFC champ Leon Edwards thinks Belal Muhammad is in over his head.

UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] is in over his head.

Edwards (21-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) defends his title in a rematch vs. Muhammad (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) in the UFC 304 headliner July 27 at Co-op Live in Manchester, England. Both Edwards and Muhammad are on double-digit unbeaten runs. The lone asterisk in their streak is a no contest against each other in March 2021 – a fight that was ruled a no contest after Edwards inadvertently poked Muhammad in the eye and rendered him unable to continue.

Muhammad has made some bold claims ahead of their rematch, but Edwards isn’t sure where he’s getting his confidence from.

“Deluded, he’s talking a lot of sh*t, so make sure you can back it up,” Edwards told Red Corner MMA. “Like I said, he’s been off over a year. The way he talks is like he was winning the first fight, so a bit deluded. But like I said, he best be ready. It’s going to be a long, hard, tough fight for him in Manchester.”

In their first fight, Edwards was able to stumble Muhammad early, winning Round 1 on all three of the judges’ scorecards. The eye poke happened just 18 seconds into Round 2, and Muhammad is adamant that their first fight can’t be indicative of how things would have played out.

But Edwards thinks otherwise.

“Like I said, the fight, Round 1 went my way comfortably,” Edwards said. “I was just getting started, and then the eye poke happened. Obviously hurt him in the first round. I feel like he’ll just be too slow for me. Too slow, too predictable, too flat footed. So, let’s see.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

Ian Machado Garry: It’s going to take me or Shavkat Rakhmonov to beat UFC champ Leon Edwards

Ian Machado Garry thinks it’s the new wave of welterweights that could pose problems for UFC champ Leon Edwards.

[anyclip-media thumbnail=”undefined” playlistId=”undefined” content=”dW5kZWZpbmVk”][/anyclip-media][autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] thinks it’s the new wave of welterweights that could pose problems for [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag].

Edwards (21-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) defends his welterweight title in a rematch against Belal Muhammad (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) in the UFC 304 main event July 27 at Co-op Live in Manchester, England.

Garry sees Edwards retaining his title and only gives himself, or former Kill Cliff FC teammate [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag] (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) a chance of dethroning Edwards.

“It’s hard to bet against Leon,” Garry told MMA Junkie. “It’s hard to see what he’s done over the last two years and the way he’s been able to evolve and dominate. He’s very, very talented. I’ve been able to spend time at Renegade until he sh*t the bed and his coaches got scared, but he’s very, very talented. He’s very well-rounded, and I think he’s a problem for everyone in the division because he’s that good.

“It’s going to take someone of my caliber, of Shavkat’s caliber to come up here and really bring him to the wire and prove that we are the new generation in this sport and take that belt from him. So for me, I see Leon still being the champ come the end of July, and I genuinely do see Shavkat being the next guy that’s going to get the opportunity.”

Garry (14-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) meets Michael Page at UFC 303 on June 29 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. He sees a win pushing him one step closer to title contention.

“I don’t think, I probably need to do one more,” Garry said. “I want one more. I’m not rushing. I’ve told you this for a long time. I had six fights planned, I have that plan, it’s still in full flight, and when I’m ready, I’m going to take a crack at that belt, and I will get my belt, I will get my crown, and I will dominate this division for as long as I want.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

Unfortunate circumstances: 15 unforeseen injuries that ended UFC main events

Injuries are part of the game in MMA, but there’s nothing worse than one ends a marquee UFC fight.

While the term “freak injury” might not be appropriate to use when discussing a sport that is inherently dangerous, 14 UFC main events have ended in unforeseen injuries – broken legs, separated shoulders, eye pokes, etc. – that don’t typically come in the sequence of MMA combat.

Scroll below to see a chronology of UFC main events that ended in that nature.

Note: Injuries sustained on a TKO due to strikes or tapout due to a submission are not included, nor are retirements on the stool due to extended fight damage or exhaustion. Laceration-based stoppages also are not included since they come as an intentional result of the opposition’s attack.