While focused on his own assignment at UFC 304, welterweight champion Leon Edwards recently assessed a few other notable matchups set for July 27.
Mixed martial arts’ leading promotion will head back across the pond toward the end of this month, visiting an English city other than London for the first time since pre-pandemic.
The newly built Co-op Live in Manchester is set to play host to UFC 304, a pay-per-view event topped by two British champions in Edwards and Tom Aspinall.
“Rocky” is expecting both him and the interim heavyweight kingpin to emerge with the gold still in their possession. And his support of fellow countrymen goes beyond just his fellow champ…
Edwards Backs Aspinall, Pimblett, Allen To Join Him As Home Winners In Manchester
During a recent interview with talkSPORT MMA, Edwards looked ahead to his upcoming Octagon outing, which comes 16 months on from his previous home fight in England’s capital.
After analyzing his main event showdown with Muhammad for the welterweight gold, “Rocky” had his attention turned to some of the other notable bouts set to play out in Manchester featuring his compatriots.
That included the other champion with whom he’s sharing the poster, interim heavyweight titleholder Aspinall.
“I pick Tom for the win,” Edwards said. “Obviously (Curtis) Blaydes is a solid opponent; great wrestling, good boxing as well. But I feel like Tom is just like, for heavyweight, quite fast and moves well on his feet. So yeah, I favor Tom for the win.”
Edwards’ next pick came with a self-admitted bias, as he backed fellow Team Renegade standout Arnold Allen to bounce back from his widely debated setback against Movsar Evloev this past January in Canada.
“I’ve got Arnold (against Giga Chikadze). He’s my training partner, you know?” Edwards noted. “I know how hard he works in the gym and just how good he is. He’s looking good now in training camp, so I’ve got Arnold.”
“Rocky” then went three for three on the home picks, predicting victory for Pimblett in his toughest Octagon assignment to date against #15-rankled lightweight Bobby “King” Green.
“That’s a good one,” Edwards said, pondering more than his previous predictions. “I’ll go Paddy. I’ll go all-British through here. I’ll go Paddy but I feel like Bobby’s a dangerous fight for him. Probably his toughest test.”
Come fight night, Edwards will no doubt be more concerned about his prediction for his own fight against Muhammad coming to fruition.
While his first two defenses against Usman and Covington went to the scorecards, the Jamaican-born Brit is vowing to finish “Remember the Name” before the championship rounds when they run it back later this month.
