Former UFC welterweight champion, Tyron Woodley (19-4-1 MMA, 9-3 UFC) will be fighting in enemy territory in March, against rising welterweight contender and hometown favorite, Leon Edwards (18-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) in London, England at The O2 Arena.
Edwards has been quietly climbing the ranks in the UFC’s welterweight division for quite some time now, most recently putting together an eight-fight winstreak.
Edwards has been calling for a title shot for quite some time as well. He now looks to defeat Woodley, who lost his title in his last fight back in March against now welterweight champion Kamaru Usman (16-1 MMA, 11-0 UFC) at UFC 235.
Despite his opponent coming off a title loss in his last fight, Edwards say’s he’s expecting the best Tyron Woodley come March.
“I’m prepared for the best Woodley, everyone’s saying to me (that) he might be washed up now because of his last performance with Usman,” said Edwards during an interview with thescoreMMA. “I’m just preparing for the best Woodley there’s every been, you know what I mean? And if he does come washed up, then he’s f***ed.”
Edwards went on to say, “I believe he’s gonna have a chip on his shoulder this fight, and he’s gonna come out aggressive, and it’s going to be a good fight, I am looking forward to it.”
The winner of this fight is looking to get right back into title contention and both fighters would deserve it with a win against the other.
If Edwards beats the former UFC champion, who defended his belt three times over the span of two years, it would be a huge feather in his cap and could almost guarantee him a title shot, considering his winstreak in addition to a main event win over a former champion, it would be hard to deny.
Woodley is fighting the next best welterweight currently available in Edwards. A win over him wouldn’t leave the UFC with many options other than to offer him a title shot against the man who took it from him last March.
Woodley also has a past with former welterweight title challenger, Colby Covington (15-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC), who fought for the welterweight championship last December at UFC 245 and came up short, getting finished by TKO in the fifth round by Usman.
