‘That’s my mentality’ – Leon Edwards hits back at title criticism ahead of UFC London return
Leon Edwards has asserted that it is now his 'dream' to become a two-time UFC champion.
Edwards faces Sean Brady this weekend at UFC London to decide who will contest for the welterweight title next.
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The 33-year-old has already held the title at 170 pounds, but lost the strap to current champion Belal Muhammad at UFC 304 in Manchester last July.
Edwards has asserted several times that he will be calling for an immediate title rematch with Muhammad if he gets past Brady at UFC London.
This prompted criticism from his American opponent, who said it was a 'bad look' for Edwards to be looking ahead of him before they meet at London's O2 Arena.
However, the Birmingham's Edwards sees no issues with his comments as he laid out his 'main goal' in the UFC going forward.
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“I’m focused on Sean for Saturday night, but the long term goal is to become a two-time world champion," Edwards said at the UFC London Media Day on Thursday,
“If he doesn’t have that dream in his head either, that's him. For me, I always put my main goal first, which is the championship.
“I always work towards it. There are steps in the way there. You've got to get past. That's just as important as the title.
“But the title is the main goal. You've got to chip away, fight by fight, win fights.
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Edwards won the UFC welterweight title after scoring one of the greatest knockouts of all time over Kamaru Usman in August 2022.
‘Rocky’ was losing the fight in the fifth and final round of his main event clash with Usman at UFC 278, before a head kick knocked Usman out cold.
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He then defended the belt seven months later in a rematch with the Nigerian before retaining it once again against the outspoken Colby Covington at UFC 296.
Edwards then dropped the belt to Muhammad in Manchester, losing via unanimous decision.
The 33-year-old cited the 5am start time as one of the main reasons for his sluggish performance on the night and promised to bounce back at UFC London against Brady.
"If you go in and lose to Sean, you don’t get your title shot," he added.
"It's just as important, if not more important, to get me to my main goal, where I feel like I belong, which is the world champion.
"That's my mentality. I'm not looking past him. My main goal is to get back to where I left off. He's the guy that's in the way and that’s it."
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UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs Brady full card
Main card 8pm
- Welterweight: Leon Edwards vs. Sean Brady
- Light heavyweight: Jan Blachowicz vs. Carlos Ulberg
- Welterweight: Kevin Holland vs. Gunnar Nelson
- Women's strawweight: Molly McCann vs. Alexia Thainara
- Lightweight: Jordan Vucenic vs. Chris Duncan
- Featherweight: Nathaniel Wood vs. Morgan Charriere
Prelims 5pm
- Lightweight: Jai Herbert vs. Chris Padilla
- Flyweight: Lone'er Kavanagh vs. Felipe dos Santos
- Heavyweight: Marcin Tybura vs. Mick Parkin
- Middleweight: Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Andrey Pulyaev
- Women's strawweight: Shauna Bannon vs. Puja Tomar
- Bantamweight: Nathan Fletcher vs. Caolan Loughran
- Lightweight: Guram Kutateladze vs. Kaue Fernandes
A black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Edwards started training at 17 to stay out of trouble, and it wasn't long before he fell in love with MMA.
Before pursuing a career in fighting, Edwards worked part-time at his local gym and credits his family, especially his son Jayon, as his driving motivation.
UFC London also sees the return of Liverpool's very own Molly McCann, who faces Alexia Thainara.
Meanwhile, Jan Blachowicz takes on Carlos Ulberg in a thrilling co-main event at light heavyweight.
Blachowicz has his sights set on becoming the UFC's older champion ever, having previously held the 205lb belt and fought the likes of Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev.
Where to buy UFC London tickets
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With the UFC only coming to the UK a handful of times per year, the opportunity to see MMA's biggest stars in action can be limited.
However, this month UK-based MMA fans will have the opportunity to see the excitement live as the UFC returns to the 02 arena for UFC Fight Night 254, Edwards vs Brady.
See some of the UK's finest as Leon Edwards, Molly McCann, Nathaniel Wood and more take to the Octagon in what's set to be a thrilling night of fights.
To get tickets to UFC London, follow the links below.
UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs Brady (02 Arena, 22 March)
- UFC London tickets at Ticketmaster, from £308.40 -
- UFC London tickets at Vivid Seats, from £316 -
- UFC London tickets at Stubhub, from £181 -
- UFC London tickets at Viagogo, from £209 -
For fans looking for an unrivalled Fight Night experience, Seat Unique offers UFC London hospitality packages complete with floor-level seating, UFC athlete appearances, post-fight Octagon experiences and more.
Get your UFC London hospitality tickets below.
UFC London hospitality tickets (02 Arena, 22 March)
- UFC London hospitality at Seat Unique, from £4,599 -
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