Going into 2020, it seemed like the sky was the limit for top UFC welterweight, Leon Edwards (18-3). Edwards entered the year on an eight fight winning streak poised to be a threat to the welterweight title in 2020.
Rocky was booked against former UFC welterweight champion to start things off in March. It was going to be a big step up in competition for Edwards, but a victory would put him as one of the next in line for a title shot.
According to Edwards, he had a fantastic camp leading up to the fight. In all honesty, I figured he was in a really good position to beat the former UFC champion. Especially considering what we’ve now seen from Woodley in 2020.
However, just a week before the fight was scheduled to happen, the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown the UFC‘s production. The promotion scrapped the event and told Edwards that the fight would be getting pushed back.
However, with the shutdowns, Edwards was not able to travel to the US to take the fight when the UFC wanted to make it. Instead, Gilbert Burns got the shot and he dominated Woodley.
UFC’s unlucky welterweight
Edwards caught a break when the UFC was heading to Fight Island. Negotiations between Jorge Masvidal and the UFC fell apart. Masvidal was scheduled to take on welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman.
However, after talks fell apart, the UFC went to Leon Edwards first to see if he could take the fight. But, with everything still locked down, Edwards was not able to accept the title fight since he couldn’t train. The promotion then gave the fight to Gilbert Burns.
The rest of 2020 saw Leon Edwards searching for a fight with a top contender. However, the UFC booked all top contenders in other matchups while offering Edwards guys in the lower half of the rankings.
Since the UFC couldn’t get Edwards to accept a fight, he was dropped from the welterweight rankings. Edwards quickly changed his tune and called for a fight with the hottest prospect in the division, Khamzat Chimaev.
The UFC quickly booked that contest as the main event of the December 19th card. However, COVID-19 struck down Leon Edwards and he had to pull out of the fight. Another opportunity that Edwards wasn’t able to accept.
No matter what you think of the guy, you have to feel bad at this point. The pandemic has impacted his UFC career perhaps more than anyone else’s. Multiple opportunities have vanished. One can only hope for Rocky is that 2021 sees him back in the cage consistently.