Leon Edwards has a fight.
The Birmingham man is set to meet Belal Muhammad on March 13 after former opponent Khamzat Chimaev was ruled out with coronavirus related issues. Edwards has been out of the Octagon since July of 2019, and has long struggled to get a contest. ESPN first reported the news.
While Edwards would have likely preferred a bigger named dance partner, it seemed few others at 170-pounds were interested for the proposed date. Instead, the UFC went to Muhammad, who fought just five days ago in Las Vegas. Edwards will represent the highest-ranked opponent of Muhammad’s career.
No guts no glory MAIN EVENT MUHAMMAD pic.twitter.com/gqZbHiOzTN
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) February 18, 2021
Respect for Belal for stepping up when no one else would. March 13 I show I am the best in the world. #StrapSeason
— Leon 'Rocky' Edwards (@Leon_edwardsmma) February 18, 2021
Edwards had shown an interest in meeting Colby Covington, but the brash wrestler dismissed the challenge, saying he would rather fight champion Kamaru Usman, and labelling Edwards a charity case.
“‘Leon Scott’ hasn’t earned anything,” Covington said, speaking to Submission Radio. “I’m in the Colby Covington Incorporated championship business. I’m not in the Leon Scott charity business. This isn’t charity hour, man. I’m fighting at the top of the mountain. I’m fighting the best in the world. Did ‘Marty Fakenewsman’ get a call from the president after his last fight? Oh geez, I wonder why? Because he sucks, he’s irrelevant. So, I’ve done things no one has ever done in this sport.
“I’m not doing charity business no more. It’s not my fault this kid hasn’t fought in two years. It’s not my fault this kid – there’s people from England fighting all the time in the pandemic, they’re not scared to fight. So, I’m not doing charity for this guy who hasn’t fought in two years. He’s irrelevant, he’s beat a bunch of bums, and I’m not doing charity. This isn’t charity hour, this is fucking championship fucking pay-per-view hour.”
