Leon Edwards has options – Three of the champ’s next challengers
Leon Edwards defeated Colby Covington by unanimous decision last night. Effective as it gets, the fight wasn’t the most exciting. But Edwards was near flawless in the main event of UFC 296. We can’t let Edwards rest, however. We have to see who is next. There are some very fun options.
Remember this name? Belal Muhammad vs. Leon Edwards 2
Leon Edwards doesn’t think he’s a shoo in but the majority of fight fans do. Belal Muhammad seems to be the clearest option for the next title challenger to the welterweight throne.
Muhammad has gone 9-0-1 in his last ten fights with his last loss coming to Geoff Neal in 2019. The lone no contest on his record was Leon Edwards in 2021. That fight ended early in round two when Muhammad had one of the worst eye pokes in UFC history that saw him unable to continue.
To further boost Muhammad’s case, He’s 13-1-1 since 2017. While the fight with Edwards seemed to be going the now-champ’s way until that poke, we will never know how that fight would finish unless we run it back.
This one makes the most sense.
The scary option: Shavkat Rakhmonov
Shavkat Rakhmonov may be the boogeyman of welterweight now. He also fought on UFC 296 with Leon Edwards. He took on perennial contender Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson and submitted the former title challenger in round two. Rakhmonov is a terrifying prospect of a fight as he’s massive and good everywhere.
Rakhmonov is 18-0. He has 8 knockouts and 10 submissions. He has never gone the distance. Since joining the UFC in 2020, he’s 5-0 and beat Alex Oliveira, Geoff Neal, Neal Magny and now Wonderboy.
If Leon Edwards wants to not fight Belal Muhammad, it will probably be Shavkat Rakhmonov. That may make him think twice about that.
The winner of Gilbert Burns vs. Jack Della Maddalena
Gilbert Burns has beeen around. He beat Demian Maia and Tyron Woodley in 2020 and that earned his title shot against Kamaru Usman. He dropped that fight and beat Stephen Thompson in his comeback. A loss to Khamzat Chimaev was next, though that was a win to the fans for him.
After Chimaev, he beat Neil Magny and Jorge Masvidal. Those two wins were enough for a title eliminator against…Belal Muhammad. Muhammad beat Burns, though Burns injured his shoulder early in that fight.
Dana White confirmed that Burns and Jack Della Maddalena are now booked for UFC 299. Maddalena is another one of those prospects who is exciting to fans. He’s gone 6-0 in the UFC since joining in 2022. His last fight was a win over Kevin Holland and now he’s taking a big step up with Burns.
If Gilbert Burns wins, it will be hard to say he deserves the title shot over Belal Muhammad. Jack Della Maddalena could make a case with a win over the fourth ranked Burns who will see a jump up after Covington’s loss.
But, again, it’s hard to deny Muhammad. he beat Burns. He beat the guy Shavkat just beat. He beat Sean Brady and Vicente Luque too. Remember his name when you’re filling in the fight offer, White. There’s really one option.
