Leon Edwards has had a hard 2020. Despite being booked for a number one contender’s fight against Tyron Woodley, Edwards never made the walk to the cage. The pandemic canceled their fight, and when it was re-booked, Edwards was replaced by Gilbert Burns. Burns beat Woodley and is now the next man up to challenge Kamaru Usman for his Welterweight Championship.

“Rocky” has finally gotten a fight against rising newcomer Khamzat Chimaev. While Chimaev is unranked, Edwards believes this is the path to a title shot. However, the fans may not have Edwards back. Noticing that, Edwards commented on the fans’ treatment of him and called them “fickle.”

“The fans are fickle. You cannot base your career around him. It’s hard to base your career around them because they’re so fickle. One minute they like you and one minute they don’t. So I just focus on myself. Focus on what I need to do and my team.”

It is refreshing to see Edwards focus on himself rather than get caught up in the narratives driven by social media. He is an elite fighter, and fans who stopped backing him for the Chimaev hype-train shouldn’t bother him.

Leon Edwards wins the fight and wins the fans

If Edwards beats Chimaev, he is back on top. He will be an obvious number one contender, who will benefit more without the hype. Usually, the higher-ranked fighters give a rub to lower-ranked fighters. Oddly, Khamzat has become more high-profile due to his activity in the last few months.

Leon Edwards may be a top-tier fighter, but Chimaev’s rank is deceptive. Even if he hasn’t faced any opponents of Edwards’ caliber, he has pure talent and strength which may dictate the proceedings. However, a Leon win may be the more likely outcome. If that happens, fans will also possibly come running back to “Rocky”.