Leon Edwards takes on Belal Muhammad in the main event of UFC Vegas 21 this weekend in Las Vegas. Needless to say, should Edwards triumph over Muhammad this Fight Night, he will find himself in a position to fight for the championship belt.
It won’t be the first time that Leon Edwards will take on Kamaru Usman should he get the next title opportunity. While there are reports of Kamaru Usman vs Jorge Masvidal 2, according to UFC President Dana White, Leon Edwards will fight for the welterweight strap next should he get a statement win over Belal Muhammad.
Leon Edwards is currently on an eight-fight win-streak. The British fighter will look to continue the same momentum. However, the question is, can Leon Edwards beat Kamaru Usman in a rematch?
Kamaru Usman vs Leon Edwards 2
Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards shared the Octagon back in December of 2019 at UFC on Fox: dos Anjos vs Donald Cerrone. The fight marked Edwards’ fourth outing inside the UFC Octagon. Meanwhile, Kamaru Usman competed in his first bout under the UFC banner after winning The Ultimate Fighter Welterweight tournament.
In what was an exciting match-up between two rising contenders back then, Usman got the better of Edwards as he picked up a unanimous decision win. The loss continues to be the only one in Edwards’ UFC career since 2015.
Kamaru Usman has time and again proved why he will go down as arguably the greatest welterweight fighter of all time. With notable wins over the likes of Jorge Masvidal, Colby Covington, Rafael dos Anjos, Gilbert Burns, and Demian Maia among others, Usman is a serious threat in the UFC’s welterweight division.
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However, Leon Edwards is as tough as it gets. Rocky has shown great improvement in his last few fights and continues to soar through the division with notable victories against Vicente Luque, Donald Cerrone, and Rafael dos Anjos.
How does Edwards match-up against Usman?
Leon Edwards has a great takedown defense. As seen from the first fight, Edwards was able to defend the takedowns. It wasn’t the dominant performance that we have seen Kamaru Usman put up against other opponents. Be that as it may, Usman emerged victorious with Edwards making adjustments to his game going forward.
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Almost five years later, Edwards has the chance to avenge his loss and while both the fighters have improved a lot since they last shared the Octagon, it will be interesting to see how the fight plays out if both the fighters share the UFC Octagon once again.
A lot will depend on Edwards’ performance against Belal Muhammad at UFC Vegas 21. It will be interesting to see if ring rust will be a factor for Edwards going into the fight against Muhammad.
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While the recent performances favor Kamaru Usman heavily, fight fans haven’t seen Leon Edwards for over a year. Edwards’ performance against Muhammad will speak volumes about how much Edwards has improved over the last year and present a better viewpoint on whether or not Edwards can beat UFC welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman.