Leon
Edwards last defended his welterweight title in a trilogy clash
against Kamaru
Usman at UFC 286 in March.
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UFC president Dana White subsequently insisted on Colby
Covington being next in line for the title shot, drawing
protests from other elite welterweights like Gilbert
Burns and Belal
Muhammad.
While White has stood firm on his stance, there has since been a
lull in fight talks, which has raised some concerns among fans.
Fabian
Edwards, who makes his own bid for gold at
Bellator 299 at the 3Arena in Dublin on Sept. 23, recently
addressed fans’ concerns about the delay in the UFC champ’s next
title defense.
According to the champion’s younger brother, the delay is mainly
due to negotiations, as “Rocky” is training and ready to go.
“Fans keep asking but he’s ready to go, he’s ready to get in there
it’s just about the negotiations,” Fabian told
The Daily Star . “It’s about location and so many things. At
the moment the focus is on me ,and I’m in the cage but he’s
training and ready. It’s great having him there if we need to lean
on each other, having a champion that’s been there and done
it.”
There has certainly been a general lull in activity in the upper
echelon of the UFC’s welterweight division, with No. 2-ranked
contender Colby
Covington having not competed in a year and a half. None of the
top five welterweights have fought in the last six months other
than Muhammad, who many consider to be the rightful title No. 1
contender.
As of now, non of the top 10 UFC
welterweights have been scheduled to fight in any welterweight
bouts. They have been inactive for: pic.twitter.com/T1Mj6r9bep— Ovin Vithanage (@OvinVithanage)
September 12, 2023