Leon Edwards successfully defended his welterweight title for the first time against Kamaru Usman in their trilogy showdown at UFC 286.
‘Rocky’ stuffed most of Usman’s takedown attempts and landed the more brutal blows in the fight to win via decision – with the three judges scoring it 48-46, 48-46 and 47-47 in his favour.
The Brit silenced his critics with a dominant performance against the former champion.
The welterweight division is as strong as it’s been for a while, and it is fair to say that Edwards is not short of options going forward.
Sportsmail breaks down what’s next for ‘Rocky’ with many fighters already throwing their name in the hat for a possible showdown.
Leon Edwards put in a striking masterclass to defeat Kamaru Usman last weekend at UFC 286
The Brit successfully defended his title for the first time following the win over Usman
Colby Covington
Colby ‘Chaos’ Covington has not fought since his decision victory against Jorge Masivdal in March 2022.
However, ‘Chaos’ was the back-up fighter for last weekend’s card in London. UFC president Dana White said after Edwards’s win that the American would be next for in line to fight Edwards.
White was asked whether he was open to the idea of Covington getting the next title shot, to which he replied: ‘Yeah that’s the fight that makes sense. Colby Covington came here, cut weight and was ready… he deserves the fight.’
However, it is fair to say that Edwards is not open to the idea of fighting Covington. Speaking at his post-fight interview, Edwards said: ‘I don’t know how that makes sense. He hasn’t fought for over a year and a half. I don’t get how he slides in for a world title shot.
‘I’m the king now, I’ve earned my way. I feel like I should decide who’s next.’
Colby Covington has not fought since his decision victory over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272
Jorge Masvidal
Jorge ‘Gamebred’ Masvidal is another name in with a chance of fighting for the title. Despite currently riding a three-fight losing streak, ‘Gambred’ has a lot of history with the current welterweight champion.
The two fighters have been tipped to share the octagon since 2019 when they had a backstage altercation following Masvidal’s sensational knockout win over Darren Till in London.
Masvidal faces Gilbert Burns in a mouthwatering welterweight showdown at UFC 287 on April 8 – with Edwards keeping a close eye on that fight.
Speaking on that fight, ‘Rocky’ said: ‘Pay-per-view wise if Jorge Masvidal beats Gilbert Burns, that’s the fight to make. I had to fight 12 times for a title shot and he said he didn’t know who I was. I’m the king, I’ll decide who is next. Masvidal, I don’t like him so that’s the one I want. I think it would be an easy fight for me, he’s a weirdo.’
Jorge Masvidal (R) is set to fight Gilbert Burns at UFC 287 in April in a welterweight showdown
Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards were involved a backstage fight back in 2019
Conor McGregor
Another name in contention is the ‘Notorious’ Conor McGregor. The Irishman has not fought since he suffered a nasty leg break in his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in 2021.
McGregor coached the upcoming ‘Ultimate Fighter’ series against Michael Chandler. The pair look set to fight later on in the year – with the bout likely taking place at 170-pounds.
Should McGregor come away with a victory against Chandler, the Irishman will then look to fight for the welterweight title.
Speaking to The MMA Hour, the former two-division champion said: ‘Yeah, I’d like [a welterweight title shot],’ McGregor said. ‘So I would like that.’
Conor McGregor (L) has not fought since his defeat to Dustin Porier (R) at UFC 264 in 2021
Khamzat Chimaev
Khamzat ‘Borz’ Chiamev’s rise to the top has impressed many MMA fans across the world. The undefeated star has dominated all of his opponents inside the cage so far and looks set for a world title fight in the near future.
‘Borz’ is another fighter who has a bit of history with the current welterweight champion.
The pair were supposed to fight in December 2020, but Edwards contracted COVID-19 and was forced to pull out of the fight. A rearranged date of January 2021 was set, but Chimaev pulled out due to also contracting the virus. The bout was then rescheduled to take place in March 2021, but Chimaev pulled out again due to still suffering from the physical effects of COVID-19.
Chimaev last fought in September when he submitted Kevin Holland at UFC 279. Recently, Dana White revealed that Chimaev’s next fight will actually take place at middleweight. Although an official 185-pound fight is yet to be booked, it means there is still a chance we will see ‘Borz’ compete at 170.
Khamzat Chimaev is another fighter in contention to fight Edwards for the 170-pound title
Other contenders
With the welterweight division the best it has been for a while, there are still several other top contenders in with a chance of facing Edwards.
Belal Muhammad is currently riding a nine-fight unbeaten streak and is ranked fourth in the division. Muhammad and Edwards have already shared the cage when they fought in 2021 – but the fight was dramatically ruled a no-contest due to an accidental eye poke by Edwards.
Should Burns beat Masvidal in April, the Brazilian is another in contention to fight for the title and is yet to face ‘Rocky.’
Shavkat Rakhmonov is destined for a crack at the world title in the near future. At 17-0 – with eight wins coming via knockout and nine by submission – many believe that he will become a champion. Rakhmonov is coming off a submission victory against Geoff Neal at UFC 285 back in March.
Belal Muhammad (R) will be looking for a rematch with Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards (L)
Shavkat Rakhmonov (L) remains undefeated and could pose some problems for Edwards
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