Leon Edwards reacts to ... everyone

Jamaican-British UFC welterweight Leon Edwards appeared recently on Submission Radio and reacted to Jorge Masvidal, Chael Sonnen, Colby Covington, Nick Diaz, and Gilbert Burns vs. the champ Kamaru Usman.

Edwards reacted to Chael Sonnen on The Ariel Helwani Show saying “Leon Edwards does everything right except make himself interesting.”

For reference, these are the current UFC top 5 contenders:
CHAMPION KAMARU USMAN
1. Gilbert Burns
2. Colby Covington
3. Leon Edwards
4. Jorge Masvidal
5. Tyron Woodley

I heard it,” said Edwards. “It’s never about the skills, right? It’s always about I need to basically be a clown. It’s not me. I can’t like put on a MAGA hat and pretend. I know what he’s saying – I need to do more for promotion-wise, cause it’s the entertainment business at the end of the day. So, I do understand where he’s coming from. But that was Chael. He talks his way into big opportunities back in the day, fought Anderson Silva and things like that. So, it is what it is. Like he said, I didn’t take much from it. I hear what he said and it is what it is.

I’ve been on the UFC every day since March, you know what I mean, to try and get a fight booked in and trying to get one of the name guys that claim that they’re the best. I’ve proven my case, I’m on an eight-fight win-streak now – the second most now to [the] current champion. So, I feel I deserve one of these top five guys, if not a big name in the sport. I’ve been on the UFC now since March, trying to get a name in and trying to get a fight in, but it was hard for me during lockdown. Everyone else in the top 15 are based in the US. I’m the only one in the top 15 that’s based in the UK. So, it’s way easier for the UFC to match them guys up, cause they’re based in the states, and I couldn’t travel cause of visa issues, and obviously you couldn’t get into America from the UK. So, it’s been frustrating and it’s been annoying. But my time will come and I will be the champion and I truly believe that, you know what I mean, so it’s all good.

Edwards was in fact involved in one of the more viral moments in 2019, the “three piece and soda” fracas with BMF Jorge Masvidal, but he didn’t engineer it, and it didn’t lead to a fight. Still …

He’s come out and said he doesn’t want none of the smoke with me, he’ll only fight me for that world title,” said Edwards. “So, I’m kind of over it now. He doesn’t want to fight. So, when I see him, we’ll be on sight fighting, and he knows what it is when we see each other. And it is what it is. You cannot force a man into a fight, right? If he says he don’t want to fight, you can’t. Nothing you can do to force him into it. I want it, the UFC want it. He keeps saying he doesn’t want it. So, what more can I do?

If the fight does get made, Edwards says Fight Week will be lively.

I would slap him every time. I would slap him every time we get close to staring down,” predicted Edwards. “So there would probably be no staredown that fight week. The whole time, it would be madness fight week. The hotel would be crazy.

Edwards was not impressed when Gilbert Burns got the shot at Usman, but says his own time will come.

I was pissed, to be fair,” said Edwards. “Cause he didn’t beat nobody. He beat a 46-year-old Demian Maia, and basically a lazy Woodley in a fight, and now he’s leaped f***in’ everyone to get a title shot, you what I mean? So, it was annoying, it was frustrating. … I don’t lose sleep over these guys and what they’re doing here. Obviously, I feel I deserve to fight. I’ve proven my case time and time again. I’ve done everything they’ve asked of me, I’ve fought everyone they’ve put in front of me and beaten everyone they’ve put in front of me. So, I think the fans know who the real number one contender is, and that’s me. And I keep proving my case time and time again.

I think Usman. I think Usman beats Burns and I’ll fight Usman early next year. … There’s history behind it. He’s the last guy to beat me in what, 2016 you said? So, like I said, there’s a good storyline behind it. And I’ll get to get my revenge back and get that win back under my belt. So, that would be good.

In the absence of a title or contender fight, Edwards is interested in Nick Diaz, who plans a return early in 2021.

He’s a big name in the sport, he’s been around for a long time, so that fight would be fantastic,” said Edwards. “It would be better for him [to fight me]. If you come and beat me, a guy on an eight-fight win streak, that would put him in line for a title shot, right? So, I think it would be a great fight. And to come and beat the new guy, which is me, the up and coming guy that’s dominating everyone, beating everyone, and for him to come back and challenge me – he’ll never beat me, but it’s a good fight, interesting fight. And that fight, I one hundred percent want it, I want to compete against Diaz.

I think Nick is Nick, right? Him and his brother are pretty much the same. Technically, they’re pretty much the same kind of fighters; boxing-based, Jiu Jitsu-based, cardio-based, and they kind of fight the same. So, I think Nick is Nick, and he’d come out the same. There won’t be nothing new, it’ll be the same way of the fight, and that’s just the way their bodies are designed to fight and where they compete. I know if me and him compete, I know I’ll win, and that’s the main thing.

Lastly, Edwards reacted to Covington referring to him as “Leon Scott.”

I don’t know what to say. He’s a weird, weird man, you know what I mean, and I don’t like him one bit, and he’s just a weird man.

However, Edwards likes Covington over Woodley in the main event of UFC on ESPN+ 36 on September 19.

“The way Woodley’s been performing of late is… I don’t know. I don’t know where Woodley’s head is at,” said Edwards. “And I know he came out the other day and said, now that I put muscle on I got like a new energy and blah blah blah. So, let’s see, let’s see. I don’t know. Probably Colby. Going off his last two performances from Woodley, probably Colby.

So what’s next for Edwards?

I’m ready to go,” he said. “I know they’re doing Fight Island until end of October, so probably one of them cards on Fight Island, if not early November in Vegas. So, I’m ready to go late October, early November. I want one of these name guys.

There’s a waiting list for Diaz right now:

https://twitter.com/darrentill2/status/1303037042276868098 https://twitter.com/WonderboyMMA/status/1303006985105932288