Leon Edwards’ anxiety-inducing fighting style praised by Robert Whittaker, who predicts UFC 304 main event: “He’s always in threat range"
Leon Edwards is one of the sharpest strikers in the UFC, and he recently received massive praise from one of the promotion's most complete fighters, Robert Whittaker. He previewed Edwards' upcoming title defense against Belal Muhammad, and pointed out the unique pressure applied by 'Rocky'.
Whittaker stated that the welterweight champion has a fighting style that induces anxiety in his opponents. 'The Reaper' also noted that Edwards' upcoming opponent, Belal Muhammad, will need to test the champion in a way not previously seen in order to win the clash.
The Australian broke down the UFC 304 main event during a recent episode of the MMArcade Podcast, and said this:
"It's hard to understand from an outside perspective, but controlling the spacing the way Edwards does is so instrumental in creating, not only pressure, but an anxiety-driven thought process. The stress that he can hit me, that he's there the whole time."
Whittaker continued:
"That's one of the things I really appreciate when Leon Edwards fights, is his spacing. It's sensational, he's always in threat range. Imagine being in threat range for 25 minutes. The dude can hit you at all times, you have to be [mentally] on at all times... I'm not ruling Muhammad out... But comparatively, up until this point, we're gonna have to see Belal Muhammad bring something to the table we haven't seen yet... From what I can tell, I'd have to lean towards Edwards."
Watch Robert Whittaker praise Leon Edwards' fighting style below (7:55):
Alex Volkanovski expects Leon Edwards to be in aggressive form at UFC 304
UFC 304 will see a number of the best MMA fighters in the United Kingdom showcase their talents in front of home fans as the card takes place in Manchester, England.
The card will be headlined by a rematch between Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad. The pair first faced off at UFC Vegas 21 in 2021, with the bout ending after Muhammad suffered a brutal eye poke.
Edwards was considerably more aggressive than usual during his first clash with 'Remember The Name', and Alex Volkanovski expects the same version of 'Rocky' in the upcoming rematch.
Volkanovski recently broke down the welterweight title fight, saying this:
"I thought [Edwards] was quite aggressive in their first fight, and I think we're going to see that again... Leon Edwards is gonna feel like he can be a bit more aggressive with someone like Belal... I think he's gonna let his hands go, which is gonna make him a lot more dangerous."
Watch Alex Volkanovski's preview below (11:15):