Leon Edwards believes the UFC made a 'huge mistake' booking him against Khamzat Chimaev
Leon Edwards is set to fight Khamzat Chimaev at UFC Vegas 17 on December 19. Khamzat Chimaev has stunned everyone by taking and winning three fights since his UFC debut in June 2020.
Last month, Leon Edwards called Khamzat Chimaev out on Twitter after he found out UFC was going to remove him from the rankings due to inactivity.
Edwards, the No. 3 ranked welterweight, had last fought in July 2019 against Rafael dos Anjos.
Chimaev readily accepted, and Dana White revealed soon afterwards that a fight between the two has been booked for the December 19 Fight Night. Speaking with The Bash MMA, Leon Edwards talked about the upcoming bout in detail.
Leon Edwards thinks Khamzat Chimaev has no chance against him
Leon Edwards was asked if he thought UFC made a big mistake by booking Khamzat Chimaev against him. Edwards was a top-ranked fighter in the welterweight division, who has fought and defeated the likes of dos Anjos, Vicente Luque, and Donald Cerrone. Chimaev, on the other hand, was a newcomer.
Edwards said that he believes it was indeed a mistake for the UFC to book Chimaev in such a tough challenge so early into his promotional push.
"I believe so. I've been... I believe he's got no chance against me."
"I truly believe I can put on a masterclass against him. He's a one-dimensional fighter. He comes at you, he hits you, but that's it, know what I mean?"
Leon Edwards is all fired up to meet his new rival, even though there is a huge difference in their ranks, records, and experience in UFC.
"So let's see how he deals with adversity. Let's see how he deals with being put under pressure, being taken down, being hit. Let's see how he deals with an all-round free form fighter. I'm 29 years old, I'm going into my prime. I can't wait to go out and showcase my skills."
Chimaev recently made into the top 15 of the Welterweight division, riding on the three quick wins he earned since his debut. Chimaev stopped John Phillips in his first fight via second-round submission, Rhys McKee via first-round TKO, and Gerald Meerschaert with a knockout punch in 17 seconds flat.
Chimaev has been busy calling out different fighters on Twitter, including middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Chimaev is keen to fight, but he had difficulty getting anyone interested in being his opponent. Most of the top-ranked fighters turned him down as they saw no point in a bout that would not help them move towards title contention.
Leon Edwards will not only be saving his rank with this fight, but might also get a shot at the title next if he wins the fight. He revealed to Ariel Helwani on his MMA Show that it has been talked about.