No one needs to explain to Leon Edwards the stakes in his upcoming fight against undefeated prospect Khamzat Chimaev on Dec. 19.
With eight wins in a row, the No. 3 ranked welterweight in the UFC should already be knocking on the door of title contention. But the coronavirus pandemic has largely wrecked his plans for 2020. Because options were limited, Edwards ultimately took the fight against Chimaev, who is currently 3-0 in the UFC with three impressive finished across two different weight classes.
While Chimaev may not have a number next to his name, Edwards understands the kind of hype that’s surrounded him since first arriving in the UFC, which is what made the fight so appealing to him.