'I think it's the perfect opportunity' - Leon Edwards expects a victory over Nate Diaz to earn him a UFC title shot
UFC welterweight standout Leon Edwards is set to take on the highest-profile opponent of his career this weekend at UFC 263. He will fight Stockton's own Nate Diaz in the UFC's first-ever five-round non-title undercard fight.
Edwards is looking to take full advantage of the star power surrounding Diaz's name. Speaking with MMA Fighting on SBN, Edwards revealed that he believes a win against Nate Diaz will be the last hurdle to overcome before getting the much-coveted title shot against Kamaru Usman.
He said:
"To have a guy like Nate, he's a huge name in the sport. He's done amazing things in the sport already. To have a guy like that, to lead into a title fight, I think it's a perfect opportunity for me to capture it. To go out there and beat this veteran of the game that'll lead me to fight for a title. I think it's a great opportunity and I'm grabbing it with both arms."
Edwards has not lost since he faced Kamaru Usman in 2015 and is now one of the most formidable fighters in the 170lb division.
In his most recent bout, Nate Diaz came up short when he faced off against Jorge Masvidal in a fight for the 'BMF' title. However, he remains one of the biggest draws in the sport and has the potential to propel any opponent to instant stardom.
Watch the full interview with Leon Edwards below:
Leon Edwards' brother reveals his personal prediction
Similar to Nate Diaz, Leon Edwards has a brother in MMA. The Briton's younger sibling, Fabian, is a Bellator fighter who competes at 185lbs. He recently spoke about his brother's upcoming fight in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA. He predicted how the fight would play out, saying:
"I just see a five round butchering. He's there to be hit. He's easily hit. The only attribute that we see is his toughness. My brother's better at wrestling, better at jiu-jitsu, better at striking, better at everything. So I just see it as five rounds of clean work. That's it."
Leon Edwards vs Nate Diaz takes place on the main card of UFC 263. The event is headlined by middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, who takes on Marvin Vettori in a much-anticipated rematch.
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