Leon Edwards rose to stardom with an improbable upset and cemented his status when asked to prove it again in a rematch.
Now ahead of what could be an even bigger challenge, the UFC’s welterweight champion has not been shy about sharing his goals – and they’re certainly far from ordinary.
Edwards (21-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) stunned Kamaru Usman to win the title with a head kick in the fifth round after he was dominated the whole fight. He took a decision from him in the rematch. Now he has ex-interim champ Colby Covington (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) in front of him at UFC 296. If he wins, he has designs on a move to middleweight to challenge for a second belt, which has been the en vogue thing to do for years now.
But he also has said he’d like to beat UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre’s record for welterweight title defenses. That might be harder to do if he moves up to middleweight, even if it’s just for one fight.
What’s his best play if he gets past Covington on Saturday? Our “Spinning Back Clique” panelists Farah Hannoun, Brian “Goze” Garcia and Dan Tom broke it down with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.
Check out their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss the most recent full episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube or in podcast form.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.
Video: Which of UFC 296 headliner Leon Edwards’ lofty goals is more realistic?