Dana White gives Leon Edwards 'credit' for signing agreement to fight Khamzat Chimaev

Dana White praised Leon Edwards for signing a bout agreement to fight the enigmatic force in the welterweight division, Khamzat Chimaev.

Although the fight never materialized, White commended Edwards for stepping up and wanting to fight Chimaev when seemingly nobody else wanted to face 'Borz' inside the octagon.

The UFC boss, in an interview with TSN, said:

"I want to point out too, we were having a matchmaking meeting on Tuesday and I'm always like nobody wants to fight [Khamzat], nobody wants to fight him. Leon Edwards signed a bout agreement to fight him and I think he was ranked number three at the time and you know, so I just wanted to make that clear publicly that he absolutely stepped up to fight him, signed a bout agreement, and then Khamzat got COVID, so that was the end of that... I'm bringing it up because I said that and never gave that kid the credit that he deserves..."

Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev were scheduled to face each other in a highly anticipated welterweight clash on December 19th, 2020.

However, both stars tested positive for COVID-19 and the bout was rescheduled a couple of times. Chimaev was then suffering from lingering effects of the virus, and the fight was eventually canceled.

Khamzat Chimaev came back from his long and grueling battle with COVID-19 and defeated Li Jingliang on his return to the octagon at UFC 267.

Edwards also defeated Nate Diaz in a five-round battle, outpointing the Stockton native and winning by unanimous decision at UFC 263.

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Dana White confirms that Leon Edwards will finally get his title shot

Dana White also confirmed that Leon Edwards will get his title shot against current welterweight king Kamaru Usman.

Speaking to Aaron Bronsteter of TSN, the UFC president said:

"A 100% [he's gonna get the title shot next], yeah. That kid has had a rough run, he deserves it and if you look at it, Colby [Covington] lost to [Usman] twice, Gilbert [Burns] lost, so Leon's next. He's number 3."

Edwards already faced Kamaru Usman early in as UFC career back in 2015. However, 'Rocky' lost to 'The Nigerian Nightmare' via unanimous decision.

'Rocky' has bounced back impressively since that defeat. The British star has won nine UFC fights since losing to Usman.

Although the title bout has not been confirmed by the UFC, it remains to be seen when the Englishman gets a crack at Usman. The champion's last outing was in November 2021 when he defeated Colby Covington and there is no assurance of when he will fight next.