Dana White revealed today that the headline bout at UFC London would be between Leon Edwards and Tyron Woodley.
O2 Arena to see an Elite UFC Fight
The speculations about this matchup began some month ago, but there wasn’t a clear proof that the fight is going to be arranged. It was mostly because Woodley refused to fight overseas. Whether he changed his mind because of a financial offer or due to Edwards’ trash talk, we don’t know, but for sure, this one is going to be a spectacle.
Right now, Woodley (19-4-1 MMA, 9-3-1 UFC), is the No.1 in the welterweight rankings, although he lost the title against Kamaru Usman back in March via unanimous decision. It was his fifth title defense, which he won after beating Robbie Lawler at UFC 201.
On the other side, Edwards (18-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) is coming into this event with 8 consecutive wins. The former BAMMA welterweight champ defeated Rafael dos Anjos this July, and previously he also beat Gunnar Nelson and Donald Cerrone. All three wins came after decisions.
The two often called out one another through the media and social networks, and according to many, there is really some bad blood between them, even though they never fought before.
Title Shot at Stake
Woodley lost against Usman, which was his first failure after five years. He was expecting a rematch, but that didn’t happen, and instead, Kamaru fought Colby Covington.
On the other side, Edwards is waiting on a title shot for a long time. On several occasions, he was pretty direct in asking the organization to give him that opportunity or to at least organize him the bout, which provides the same.
It seems that Dana White and the people from the UFC have made the most logical solution, to put these two together and let them decide who will enter the ring with Usman. The reigning champ is recovering from his last fight, and he hasn’t got any plans for the future.
It most definitely leaves the door open for the winner of this contest. According to the analysts, that potential title battle could be organized this fall.