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СпутникиРНSpaceXРоскосмосNASALeon Edwards wants to join the small club of double UFC champions and become the first British star to achieve it. The welterweight king, who faces Colby Covington next.
By WILL GRIFFEE
Published: 07:27 EDT, 14 November 2023 | Updated: 07:28 EDT, 14 November 2023
Leon Edwards wants to join the small club of double UFC champions and become the first British star to achieve it next year.
The welterweight king, who faces Colby Covington in his second title defence at UFC 296 next month, revealed grand ambitions about moving up to middleweight.
Sean Strickland holds the belt and will face Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 in Toronto next January.
Edwards feels that if the winner can come through unscathed, he'd like to face them at UFC 300 in the spring on what will no doubt be an historic card.
When asked about moving up to middleweight, Edwards told Sky Sports: '100 percent, definitely.
Leon Edwards wants a shot at the middleweight title after another welterweight defence
Colby Covington is next up for 'Rocky' in Las Vegas in December as the main event
'I feel especially with someone like [Sean] Strickland, and I think he’s fighting [Dricus] Du Plessis soon, so either of them two would be great to fight.
'I’m big myself. I feel like that would be perfect. I feel like me going out and being double-champ, first ever from the UK to do it. That’s definitely one of my goals. That’s on the cards for sure.
When asked about a timeline, 'Rocky' added: 'Next would be perfect, to be honest. The division right now, there’s no one that’s exciting in the division so for me to go out there to do that, that would be perfect.
'UFC 300, I like that. To put me on that card would be massive. Let’s see.'
Edwards won the belt in sensational fashion with a late head kick knockout of Kamaru Usman before defending it on home turf by decision.
He baulked at the suggestion that Covington should be next but Dana White and the UFC have put the fight together for the last major event of the year on December 16.
Edwards has his sights set on become the first British double champion in the UFC
Whether the UFC would grant the Birmingham fighter an immediate title shot at middleweight off the back of two defences of his own belt remains to be seen.
Of course, defeat by 'Chaos' would scupper those plans and the bookmakers currently only have the Brit as a narrow favourite.
Covington has lost two of his last four, both against Usman, bouncing back to beat Jorge Masvidal over five rounds last year.
It has been a long absence for the controversial American but he remains a pay-per-view draw and should attract plenty of eyeballs to the December contest.