“Khamzat Is Either Real or He Is Not”- Dana White Speaks on Khamzat Chimaev vs Leon Edwards

It has been a frustrating year for Leon Edwards. ‘Rocky’, who last fought in August 2019, saw his fight in March against Tyron Woodley fall through. Furthermore, he accepted a fight against rising star Khamzat Chimaev and was set to headline the yer’s final event.  However, a positive COVID test ruled him out of the fight. 

Read: Khamzat Chimaev’s coach lauds ‘the fire in him’- Details why he is special 

Dana White shares his thought process behind Khamzat Chimaev vs Leon Edwards 

Caroline Pearce of BT Sport asked Dana White what the logic was behind matching up Leon against Khamzat. She also probed if a loss against ‘Borz’ would mean that ‘Rocky’ would lose his title shot as well. White replied, “Well listen, if you’re ranked in the top 5 and you’re worried about being derailed by a guy who that’s ranked in the top 15… Well realistically if you look at it Khamzat burst onto the scene.”

A fight against ‘Borz’ has a lot of downsides and not enough upside for Edwards. At the moment he is ranked third in the division and will most likely get the next title shot after Gilbert Burns. 

A loss against a newcomer in the UFC ranked 15th in the division will be devastating. However, if he can derail Chimaev’s hype train, he will further cement his place as the rightful number one contender and skyrocket his stock as a UFC fighter. 

What do you make of the fight between Edwards and Chimaev? Who do you think will win? Let us know in the comments below!