Leon Edwards Believes He’s Part of Youth Movement in UFC Welterweight Division
Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight Leon Edwards is set to take on Donald Cerrone this weekend at UFC Singapore and believes a big win over the veteran could propel him up the rankings and land him an opportunity similar to that of Darren Till, who got his shot of headlining the UFC Liverpool against Stephen Thompson on the heels of his win over Cerrone (via MMA Fighting):
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A win against “Cowboy” will extend his winning streak to six, but importantly push him further up the welterweight rankings, where he’ll face the best of the division.
“I hope a win here will give the UFC a reason to get over to Birmingham again -- it would be dream for me to fight in my hometown. This is the win that will hopefully see me get the credit I deserve. I’m on a five-fight win streak now so I think it’s about time that I get my chance against guys at the top of the division.”
Edwards is noticing a trend in the division where the established veterans are starting to lose out to the new wave of welterweights including Robbie Lawler, Cerrone and Demian Maia, who have all lost to younger fighters recently.
“The older guys are fading out now. I’m young, I’m just 26-years-old. I think everyone else in rankings is over 30. It’s the changing of the guard for sure, and I’ve got to show that I’m a part of that new movement. That’s what I’m focused in on ahead of this fight. I’ve got to show everyone that I’m a threat in this division,” Edwards explained.
“These older heads are there for the picking now,” he continued. “They’ve still got the name, they’ve still got the clout, but they are maybe more beatable than they once were. They’ve had their turn at the top of the division and now it’s our turn. Everybody knows Cerrone, and by putting him away it puts me straight into that top 10.”
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