The Edwards brothers from Birmingham, England are two of the best in mixed martial arts (MMA).
Leon, 32, and Fabian, 30, fight in separate promotions, but they are often seen on opposite sides during fight week and fight night segments. This situation continues as Edwards' younger brother prepares for a middleweight challenger fight against Aaron Jeffery at Bellator 302 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, next weekend (Friday, March 22, 2024). It won't change.
But Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight champion Leon is still waiting for his next challenger. Most community members expected it to very likely be Edwards' past enemy, Belal Muhammad. The only hiccup in each fighter's long winning streak occurred in their first encounter, when an eye poke in the second round resulted in a no-contest and prevented Muhammad from continuing.
Muhammad's name has been left out in recent reports, and from Fabian's perspective, he doesn't seem upset that the rematch could be skipped.
“Honestly, it's not [care for it]” Edwards told MMA Mania about the rematch between Muhammad and his brother. “This is one of the fights I want his brother to have the biggest fight of his career. So if it's going to be like Khamzat. [Chimaev], who is the big fight for the fans, or is it him who will definitely move up a weight class and challenge for a two-division championship? That's a match I'd like to see more of from him.
“Okay. Belal deserves it,” he continued. “He's worked so hard, but the fight game is unfair sometimes. I want to see his brother's biggest fight, and I think it's the most expensive fight.”
Meanwhile, Bellator's Edwards will take on Jeffery on the heels of a blowout loss in his first career title shot against Johnny Eblen at Bellator 299 in September 2023. That said, he would still only have a one-match winning streak after his rebound effort against Jeffrey, but the Brit believes it is enough to earn him the title rematch he seeks.
“After Jeffrey, they have to hand it to me,” Edwards said. “The person Evren was calling was Jeffrey. Evren himself said, “I want to fight him next.'' So I'm going to go out there and do what I know I can do and beat that guy. How can anyone say I should never compete for the title again? The champion was calling that guy. ”
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