The UFC welterweight division is as deep as it's ever been. Led by champion Kamaru Usman, the weight class boasts former title challengers Colby Covington, Jorge Masvidal, Gilbert Burns, and Stephen Thompson. You also have former titleholder Tyron Woodley, who is a couple of wins away from putting his name back in the conversation.
One name missing from that list is Leon Edwards as he headlines this Saturday's UFC Fight Night event against No. 13-ranked Belal Muhammad from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nev.
Edwards (18-3) returns to the Octagon for the first time in 20 months. But it isn't due to a lack of trying to compete. He's had four fights pulled from him in the last 12 months due to COVID-19. With an eight-fight winning streak and a No. 3 ranking to his name, Edwards feels if he does his job and takes care of business, the next crack at Usman belongs to him.
"Yes, for sure,' Edwards told DAZN. "I should be next in line. I worked my way up. My last loss was over five years ago. I've paved my way, and I believe I should be next in line. When I win on Saturday, I will be next."
The 29-year-old had been tabbed to headline in his native England against Woodley in March 2020. But the coronavirus pandemic reared its ugly head and put a halt on traveling for the time being, so the entire card got canceled. Then the UFC reached out to Edwards to face Usman at UFC 251 on a little less than five weeks' notice. With gyms in the UK shut down at that time, Edwards was unable to train and couldn't accept the opportunity.
Wanting to get back in there, "Rocky" accepted a fight against rising star Khamzat Chimaev for December. But Edwards contracted COVID, and the contest got moved to January 20, three days before UFC 257 that featured Dustin Poirier beating Conor McGregor. However, Chimaev contracted COVID, and the fight got postponed once again. The UFC wanted Edwards-Chimaev to happen, so it got switched to this Saturday. Chimaev had to pull out four weeks due to lingering effects from COVID. The organization wanted Edwards to remain on the show, and Muhammad stepped up to the plate.
While most people would have been upset, Edwards chose to keep it positive because things could have been a lot worse.
"It's all about perspective, really," Edwards said. "Obviously, I had a hard year. COVID hit. I couldn't travel. My first flight canceled on me when I was supposed to fight Tyron Woodley in my first main event in the UK, and I had the opportunity taken away from me. From there, it spiraled out of control. I kept having flight cancellations. That matchup with Khamzat got canceled again. It was a frustrating time in my fight career. There's a lot of people in the world who are struggling way worse than me. I'm healthy. My family is healthy. I get to train every day and improve my skillset and train my mind. Now we're back in action.
"People were turning the fight down, and Belal stepped up. You have to give him respect for doing that. I always love a guy who talks a big game and backs it up. Unfortunately, everybody talks like they will fight whenever but they don't step up when called upon. I realized that's not what Belal Muhammad is about."