Leon Edwards is barely two days removed from his stunning win over Kamaru Usman at UFC 278, but the new welterweight champion is already being pursued about what comes next.
Directly after his win, the 30-year-old British fighter acknowledged a trilogy against Usman makes the most sense after he lost to “The Nigerian Nightmare” in their first meeting in 2015 and then got his revenge this past Saturday night.
That said, Edwards’ longtime manager, Tim Simpson of Paradigm Sports, believes the location for his client’s next fight matters more than any particular opponent.
” I think a homecoming bout in the UK should be the primary goal,” Simpson stated on The MMA Hour . “The opponent, we’ll figure it out but he wants to fight in the UK. I think he deserves that.
“It will be massive, and I think he deserves that homecoming. Full circle from 2018 getting booed in his home country. He’s the hero now, and he deserves it. Really, that’s the only thing we really, really want. All the rest of it will be .”
Back in 2020, Edwards was set to headline a UFC event at The O2 in London against ex-champion Tyron Woodley in a fight that could have easily resulted in a title shot opportunity. Sadly, the entire event was scrapped due to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Edwards didn’t compete again until almost exactly one year later.
Lately, the UK has been a UFC hot spot after back-to-back shows in London that not only drew sellout crowds but an undeniably electric atmosphere.
Just after Edwards’ win, UFC President Dana White teased a possible event at Wembley Stadium. He later changed his mind and said that he was afraid of having a card at an outdoor venue where the weather can be unpredictable.
Simpson thinks the stadium’s size should be considered, particularly considering the number of spectators who could fill the place for an event featuring a British Champion.
“You could [do it in Wembley],” Simpson said. “There’s no way they wouldn’t sell that out. The UK fans, they sell out The 02 in, like, three minutes. Tickets are in high demand.
“There’s so much talent there. Leon, I don’t want to rattle off all their names, but [Muhammad] Mokaev, Tom Aspinall, Arnold Allen, Paddy Pimblett and all them. It would be easy to sell it. This would make a huge .”
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After traveling from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas, Utah this week, Simpson & Edwards will sit down with UFC to talk about their futures before the new champion for welterweight returns to England.
A conversation about possible opposition will almost certainly come up, with Usman likely to be at the top. But Jorge Masvidal is another person vying for that opportunity after he got involved in a backstage altercation with Edwards in 2019.
“Leon loves [to fight Masvidal],, but how can you make that happen right now? Simpson asked. “I think Leon would love it. I mean you could sell that. He’s coming off like three or four losses. Who knows.
“I think [Usman makes the most sense] but again we’ll see what happens. It was quite a nasty knockout, you need time for that. It’s clear that Usman is trying to accomplish the same thing .”
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Although it doesn’t matter who is offered, Simpson insists that Edwards’ first defense of his title be held close to home.
” We’re in partnership with UFC. It’s really the place that is most important.
“As Leon said, ‘I’m top of the mountain now, bring them on.’ The thing we’ll really fight for is getting it in the UK.”
