Leon Edwards will be one-half of UFC’s first-ever five-round co-main event against Nate Diaz when both the fighters share the Octagon on 15 May at UFC 262. The Stockton Slugger will make his UFC return after more than 15 months away from the Octagon to take on Edwards, who is coming off a no-contest against Belal Muhammad earlier this year.
Leon Edwards sat down with ESPN journalist Ariel Helwani and explained how the fight against Nate Diaz fell in place after the disappointing result of his UFC return earlier this year.
“My manager phoned me, 12 o clock at night over here, he was somewhere else. He’s like, ‘UFC phoned me about Nate Diaz.”
“I didn’t really, Nate is Nate. You never really know what he is gonna do.”
‘Once the contract came through, it was official. Ok, let’s go.” “He’s been around for a long time. He has fought who’s who of the sport. It will be a good name to add to my resume. So let’s go.”
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It’s one of the very rare times that a #3 ranked opponent will fight an unranked fighter. Needless to say, Diaz’s popularity has often helped him get amazing match-ups regardless of his position in the rankings. Diaz could be looking at a potential title opportunity with a win over Leon Edwards. However, it will be easier said than done.
Leon Edwards is a nightmare match-up for Nate Diaz
Leon Edwards gets better as the fight goes forward. He is currently on an eight-fight win streak and a win away from getting the title opportunity. Despite the achievements, fans have found it hard to connect with Edwards, and his recent inactivity has impacted his popularity a lot.
Needless to say, a win over Nate Diaz could plummet him to greater heights. Diaz’s return to the Octagon after more than a year is definitely exciting and has made many fight fans happy around the world. The five-round favor Diaz more than any fighter because of his incredible cardio, however, it will down to the damage that Edwards can inflict on Diaz in the initial round. Needless to say, if Edwards can finish Diaz, he would have earned himself a huge number of fans.
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