We don’t know Leon Edwards’ next dance partner yet, but the “Save the Date” card went out Saturday from Edwards himself.
The British welterweight champion said he’ll return to defend his title at UFC 300 in April at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. UFC CEO Dana White the type of legendary top-to-bottom card befitting of the historic event number, and Edwards said he’ll be part of it.
The 32-year-old was honored at halftime of Aston Villa’s home win over Burnley at Villa Park in Birmingham, England. Edwards was born in Jamaica, but moved to Birmingham when he was 9. Two weeks after his unanimous decision win over Colby Covington at UFC 296, Edwards got a customized Aston Villa home kit shirt with “Champ” and the number 1 on the back.
Edwards (22-3 MMA, 14-2 UFC) told the crowd he’ll fight at UFC 300 in a title defense. Several names have been floated as candidates. Nate Diaz threw his hat in the proverbial ring this past week. He lost a decision to Edwards in 2021, but mounted a late rally that had fans clamoring for a Round 6. Lightweight champion Islam Makhachev wants to attempt to be a two-division titleholder, and a shot at history would be on brand for something like UFC 300.
But the most likely opponent may be Belal Muhammad (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC). Edwards and Muhammad fought once before, but their matchup was a no contest when Muhammad took an accidental eye poke just 18 seconds into the second round of their UFC Fight Night 187 main event. Muhammad has been campaigning for a title shot for a while based on merit, but had to wait out a Kamaru Usman rematch with Edwards, then Covington’s title shot, which came on the heels of nearly two years of inactivity.
Initially, Edwards didn’t seem all that keen on a fight against Muhammad after his win over Covington. But he appeared to warm to the idea, perhaps out of inevitability of the matchup.
Edwards has 12 straight wins. He also told the crowd at Villa Park that he hopes to fight again next summer in Birmingham, which would make him one of the most active titleholders in UFC history.
