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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Farah Hannoun

UFC champ Leon Edwards ‘would 100 percent give’ Nate Diaz title shot if he beats Khamzat Chimaev

If Nate Diaz gets past Khamzat Chimaev, Leon Edwards is willing to give him a title shot.

Prior to dethroning welterweight champion Kamaru Usman with a last-minute head-kick knockout this past Saturday at UFC 278, Edwards (20-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) picked up a marquee win over Nate Diaz (20-13 MMA, 15-11 UFC) last year at UFC 263.

Edwards dominated Diaz for five rounds until he got rocked with less than a minute left, but “Rocky” survived. So if Diaz manages to beat undefeated Chimaev (11-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) in his upcoming UFC 279 headliner on Sept. 10, Edwards is more than happy to grant him a rematch.

“I would 100 percent give Nate a shot, though,” Edwards said on “The MMA Hour.” “The scenes would be crazy. I would 100 percent give Nate a shot, because Nate’s a G. I always said it, even after the fight: He is who he is. He’s one of the greatest. The game has never changed him. So if that does happen then Nate’s definitely getting a shot.”

With UFC 279 being the final fight on his contract, Diaz, who hasn’t won since August 2019, would have to re-sign with the promotion for that to be possible. UFC president Dana White initially said Chimaev is next in line for a title shot if he beats Diaz, but Edwards is also open to a trilogy bout with Usman at Wembley Stadium in London.

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