Streaking UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards says he’s waiting for a crack at the winner of the UFC 251 main event.
UFC 251 goes down on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi this Saturday. In the card’s headliner UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman will attempt to defend his title against Jorge Masvidal, who replaced Gilbert Burns just six days’ ahead of the event.
Edwards currently holds the No. 4 spot in the UFC welterweight rankings, sitting behind Usman, Burns, Masvidal and Colby Covington. Having won his last nine fights, including triumphs over the likes of Vicente Luque, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, Gunnar Nelson and Rafael dos Anjos, he’s arguably already earned a title shot.
He says he’ll be waiting in the wings to fight the Usman vs. Masvidal winner after UFC 251.
“Me waiting on this Saturday night winner,” Edwards wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.
Edwards has history with both Usman and Masvidal.
Edwards fought Usman back in 2015, losing a unanimous decision to the future champion. He has not lost since.
Edwards has also collided with Masvidal, but not in a sanctioned mixed martial arts bout. In early 2019, Masvidal and Edwards both competed on a fight card in London. Masvidal took out Darren Till in the main event, while Edwards defeated Gunnar Nelson in the co-headliner. After the card had wrapped up, Masvidal attacked Edwards backstage, laying out the groundwork for a high-stakes grudge match down the road.
While Edwards has seemingly already earned a title shot, he may need to take another fight in the meantime in order to separate himself from the pack. He was recently scheduled to fight Tyron Woodley, who is riding back-to-back losses to Burns and Usman, however the fight fell through due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That fight could conceivably be re-booked, or Edwards could be matched up with Burns, Covington or another ranked contender.
