Leon Edwards may have won the fight four rounds to one but the fight was more exciting than what score says. The odd-makers or even fans predicted that Diaz has nothing against Edwards but he showed once more that he really fights better as the round progresses.
In the early parts of the fight, Diaz had no answer with Edwards’s striking and even grappling. Edwards was naturally the bigger guy plus he is still on his prime, while we know that Diaz’s best performance where when he was a lightweight.
Edwards even landed his signature elbow strike that cut Diaz open. Diaz already has scar tissue making him easier to bleed from strikes. The crazy thing is Diaz gets even better as the round progresses. It was overall a great fight despite many fans thought that the matchmaking did not make sense.
Edwards was styling out Diaz in all five rounds until the last minute of the fight where Diaz clipped him with his signature jab straight that rocked Edwards completely. Imagine if Diaz stopped Edwards and gets an immediate title shot, it would have been breaking the timeline once more.
The crowd were at the edge of their seats, most were standing hoping Diaz makes the miraculous comeback but it didn’t happen. Edwards was smart enough not to engage but rather clinch and stall until the final seconds.
What is next for Leon Edwards, he was expected to get an easy win but that was not the case. Will the UFC give the winner of Usman vs. Covington 2 or will he fight another contender like the winner of Burns vs. Thompson. A win against Diaz will certainly not increase Edwards’s current ranking but getting clipped may have even lowered his stocks.
Credit to Edwards for surviving the last few seconds, he showed championship heart but a lot of fans were excited for Diaz’s last flurry. It was without a doubt that Diaz was the crowd favorite.
