After his latest win, welterweight champion Leon Edwards already knows what kind of fighter he would like to fight. And if he has to choose between Shavkat Rakhmonov and Belal Muhammad, the champ doesn’t think it will be the former.
Edwards successfully made the second defense of his welterweight belt against Colby Covington at UFC 296 last Saturday. With this, fighters in the division are starting to make their callouts again, with Muhammad beginning the move.
The No. 2-ranked fighter, who served as the backup for Edwards and Covington, criticized the bout, saying, “It was a joke to the division.” Muhammad blasted Edwards for failing to give an exciting performance expected of him after Covington made an offensive remark involving his murdered father. Later, Rakhmonov tried to cement his name as the next rightful challenger of the champ.
Meanwhile, Rakhmonov reiterated his earlier remark about his intent to soon enter the cage with Edwards. Despite admitting that “Belal Muhammad also deserves the title shot,” the Kazakh is determined to get the bout he wants. With this, after submitting Stephen Thompson at UFC 296, “Nomad” made the callout again.
With all these callouts, Edwards weighed on what he would like to meet the next time he enters the cage. Unfortunately for Muhammad, Edwards thinks he’s incapable of giving an exciting fight.
“I don’t care who comes next, but I don’t know where they’ll go,” Edwards told TNT Sports in a post-fight interview. “Maybe not Belal because Belal is like a boring fighter, and Shavkat would probably be a good fight as well, but let’s see who. Like I said, I feel this is Leon Edwards’ era.”
