Michael Bisping praises Leon Edwards for accepting fights against Khamzat Chimaev and Jorge Masvidal despite strong resume
Leon Edwards is currently undefeated in his last 10 UFC outings, which includes one no contest. UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping recently praised his fellow Englishman for accepting fights against Jorge Masvidal and Khamzat Chimaev despite having a decorated resume.
According to Bisping, 'Rocky' accepted a fight against 'Gamebred' when he thought he deserved a title shot. 'The Count' also credited Edwards for agreeing to take on Chimaev multiple times. On a recent episode of his Believe You Me podcast, the former UFC middleweight champion said:
"That does deserve pointing out. I mean, he is 10 fights unbeaten, nine wins, one no contest. And to be taken on, insane [opponents]. I mean, when he already thought he should be fighting for the belt, he accepts a fight with Masvidal; that shows extreme confidence and, of course, Masvidal is f***ing, you know.... it'd be a great fight, but still. And Khamzat, a guy that a lot of people are avoiding, other than Gilbert Burns. And not everyone's avoiding him, that's not fair. but still... Not only has he got a strong resume, the body of work, but he's also accepting very, very dangerous fights along the way."
Catch the latest episode of Believe You Me below:
Leon Edwards was scheduled to face Khamzat Chimaev three times. The bout never came to fruition as both tested postive for COVID-19, with 'Borz' feeling the effects of the virus for months.
More recently, Edwards was scheduled to face Jorge Masvidal in a highly anticipated grudge match at UFC 269 last month. The bout fell through as Masvidal withdrew due to an undisclosed injury, later revealed to be a rib issue.
Khamzat Chimaev wanted to fight Leon Edwards at UFC 269
With Jorge Masvidal pulling out, Khamzat Chimaev, among many others, stepped up and offered to face Leon Edwards at UFC 269.
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Let’s go bro we do it @Leon_edwardsmma 👊🏼 https://t.co/HXvytUOIRt
However, 'Rocky' turned down the offer as he didn't think Chimaev deserved the No.3-ranked contender as an opponent. Edwards told Brett Okamoto of ESPN:
“I feel like I’ve paved my way. I’ve done what I need to do to earn my position. I don’t feel he’s [Chimaev] earned to fight the No.3 guy in the world. The only reason I was gonna fight him before was because I was inactive for such a long time. I wanted to get active and I wanted to fight, you know. That was the only reason."
Watch Leon Edwards' interview with ESPN below: