Leon Edwards mocks Colby Covington, Khamzat Chimaev, and Belal Muhammad while hinting at his next opponent: "Pull out"
Leon Edwards mocked Belal Muhammad and Colby Covington, among other fighters, in a recent interview with TNT Sports. Edwards has developed a fierce rivalry with Muhammad, his UFC 304 opponent, and has had a tense relationship with the likes of Covington and Khamzat Chimaev in the past.
Edwards was asked to describe fighters with one word. The 32-year-old described most fighters, including his predecessor and rival Kamaru Usman, with respect. However, his one-word descriptions for Chimaev, Covington and Muhammad reflected sarcasm.
Khamzat Chimaev: "Pull out"
Colby Covington: "Pu**y"
Belal Muhammad: "Pu**y [laughs], no, deluded"
Speaking further, Edwards hinted at who he could face next, provided he emerges victorious at UFC 304.
Shavkat Rakhmonov: "Next"
Islam Makhachev: "Maybe next"
Check out Leon Edwards' answers for all fighters below:
Kazakhstan's Shavkat Rakhmonov is considered one of the most skilled rising welterweight fighters. Having defeated Geoff Neal and Stephen Thompson in recent outings, he is widely regarded as the next challenger to the title.
Meanwhile, reigning lightweight champion Islam Makhachev tied the record for most consecutive title defenses in his division with his UFC 302 win over Dustin Poirier. He has expressed his desire to challenge for the welterweight title to further his legacy.
Leon Edwards explains why he thinks Belal Muhammad is "deluded"
Belal Muhammad has launched scathing attacks at Leon Edwards heading into their UFC 304 title fight. The 36-year-old has stated that he intends to outclass Edwards for five rounds, even if the finish is available. Muhammad said that he feels scoring a lopsided decision win over Edwards will put a decisive end to their rivalry.
In another interview, Muhammad claimed that defeating Edwards would make him the consensus second-greatest welterweight after Georges St-Pierre.
Reacting to the statements in an interview with Bleacher Report, Edwards said:
"I think he's deluded. I feel like everything he's said, he's never done it his whole career. He did one interview where [he said] he'll take me down, let me back up, look at my coaches, take me down, let me back up. I was like, 'Bro, what the hell is going on?' He's just trying to talk himself into the fight. That's all he was trying to do and it won't make a difference." [H/t: Bleacher Report]
Edwards vs. Muhammad 2 will headline the UFC 304 pay-per-view event scheduled to take place on July 27 in Manchester, England. The fight is a rematch of their March 2021 contest that resulted in no-contest.