Leon Edwards is currently the #3 ranked welterweight in the UFC, and he is scheduled to face Nate Diaz on UFC 263. Obviously, Edwards wants a rematch against the current champion, Kamaru Usman but the question lies, does a win over Nate Diaz give him an immediate title shot?
According to Dana White, they are currently looking to book a rematch with Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington. Most of the fans are excited this fight mainly because Covington gave him a lot of problems. Covington is also the #1 ranked welterweight, and their fight was close up until the late finish in the fifth round.
As for Leon Edwards, he is riding on a 8 fight win streak but he is coming off an unfortunate no contest fight against Belal Muhammad. Since his loss to Usman, he has improved a lot and has been calling out top fighters like Jorge Masvidal. He was initially scheduled to face Tyron Woodley but due to the lockdown, it was cancelled.
The UFC then had a rising prospect, Khamzat Chimaev who was on a tear when he debuted. UFC tried to give the prospect a fast track to a title shot by offering him a top 5 contender, but sadly it did not happen due to COVID issues.
Nate Diaz is a fan favorite despite having a lot of losses in the Octagon. He has been in the UFC for so long but now he is coming off a long layoff. His last fight was against Jorge Masvidal for the BMF belt, where he looked slow and not the usual Diaz. At the end of the day, he is still an unranked fighter.
So Edwards beating Diaz does not do anything for Edwards’s rank. How can he get a title shot over an unranked win but on the other hand who could blame Edwards for not taking the fight. If he beats Diaz, he might get new fans as a lot of people like to watch Diaz fight since he is a fan favorite.
