Leon Edwards Targets Conor McGregor: “That’s the Fight”
Leon Edwards has his sights set on Conor McGregor. This summer, Edwards will defend his welterweight title against Belal Muhammad on July 27 at UFC 304 in Manchester, England. This fight comes just a month after McGregor makes his long-awaited return to the cage against Michael Chandler at UFC 303. If both Edwards and McGregor emerge victorious, “Rocky” believes a showdown between them is the next logical step.
Edwards’ Ambitious Plan
“One hundred percent. Why not? Let’s give him the opportunity to become a three-division world champion,” Edwards said recently on The MMA Hour. “Give me the opportunity to take out a guy like Conor McGregor. New York, that would be perfect. That is the fight. I feel like he’s got to take out Michael, I take out ‘No-one-remembers-his-name’ and we’ll go from there. We’ll go to New York, MSG, let’s go!”
“That’s the fight. We’ve got business to take care of, but that’s the fight. That’s what needs to happen and it should happen,” Edwards emphasized.
McGregor’s Rocky Road
Conor McGregor, the first simultaneous two-division UFC champion, has struggled in recent years. Since holding both the featherweight and lightweight titles in 2016, McGregor has gone 1-3 over the past eight years. His most recent fight was a loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264, where he suffered a catastrophic leg injury that has kept him out of action for nearly three years. McGregor will return in a 170-pound bout against career lightweight Michael Chandler.
Edwards acknowledges that he hasn’t discussed this potential fight with the UFC yet, but he remains hopeful.
“I heard a little noise but nothing to get excited about,” Edwards mentioned. “Like I said, we’ve both got fights on our hands that we need to get past first before getting that far in. I have to go out there and take care of Belal, he goes out there and takes care of what he needs to take care of, and we’ll go from there.”
Despite McGregor’s long layoff, terrible injury, and recent poor form, Edwards still believes in him. The UFC welterweight champion is optimistic that McGregor will showcase his vintage form against Chandler.
“I think he beats him,” Edwards said. “If you watch them stylistically, I feel like Conor is a very sharpshooter, counterstriker, and Chandler plays off his aggression. He likes to entertain the crowd and scrap. He’s too small, as well. I feel like he’s going to walk onto the back hand. It’s going to be a good fight, but I’m favoring Conor for this fight.”
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Looking Ahead to UFC 303 and UFC 304
McGregor vs. Chandler will headline UFC 303, which takes place on June 29 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The outcome of this fight, along with Edwards’ bout against Muhammad, could set the stage for a highly anticipated clash between Edwards and McGregor later this year.
UFC 304: Full Fight Card (UK Times)
•Main Event: Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad – 04:00 BST
•Co-Main Event: Tom Aspinall vs. Curtis Blaydes – 03:30 BST
•Bobby Green vs. Paddy Pimblett – 03:00 BST
•Arnold Allen vs. Giga Chikadze – 02:30 BST
•Muhammad Mokaev vs. Manel Kape – 02:00 BST
Undercard
•Nathaniel Wood vs. Daniel Pineda – 01:30 BST
•Molly McCann vs. Bruna Brasil – 01:00 BST
•Shauna Bannon vs. Ravena Oliveira – 00:30 BST
Prelims
•Michael Parkin vs. Lukasz Brzeski – 00:00 BST
•Oban Elliott vs. Preston Parsons – 23:30 BST
•Sam Patterson vs. Kiefer Crosbie – 23:00 BST
•Modestas Bukauskas vs. Marcin Prachnio – 22:30 BST
•Caolán Loughran vs. Ramon Taveras – 22:00 BST
•Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Robert Bryczek – 21:30 BST
Sources
