Leon Edwards has every intention of showing that the hype around Khamzat Chimaev isn’t warranted when they meet in the UFC Fight Night headliner on Dec. 19. Edwards, No. 9 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie welterweight rankings , is seemingly taking a big risk in putting his eight-fight winning streak on the line against the highly touted but unranked Chimaev. Despite the discrepancy in divisional position, the lay of the land at 170 pounds made accepting the matchup a logical choice for Edwards. He’ll have been out of action 18 months by the time he competes, and after a main event with Tyron Woodley fell apart in March because of COVID-19, and a title shot against Kamaru Usman failed to materialize in July , Edwards said Chimaev is currently his best option.
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