Leon Edwards knows Tyron Woodley did not want to come to London and believes he was forced into doing so. He also believes he has gotten under the skin of the former champion.
In the main event of UFC London on March 21, Woodley will return to the Octagon for the first time since losing his belt to Kamaru Usman. Edwards, meanwhile, has been active and is considered to be one win away from a title shot.
For the Englishman, he is eager to share the Octagon with the former champion and do so in his home country.
“I think he was forced into it, he didn’t want to come to London. He made every excuse in the book as to why he didn’t want the fight,” Edwards told BJPENN.com. “He had no choice and this is the only fight that makes sense for him and the UFC. So, he was forced into it and now here we are. March 21 in London and it will be a great night for the UK fans.”
Edwards is on an eight-fight winning streak with notable wins over Donald Cerrone, Gunnar Nelson and Rafael dos Anjos. Yet, he knows he isn’t as big of a star as he could be but hopes a win over Woodley finally puts him over the top.
“I feel so. Woodley is one of the best of all-time, so I believe so,” he explained. “After this fight and I answer all the questions of can I wrestle, can I do this, can I do that, after the victory the fans will know I am number one.”
Against Woodley, Leon Edwards is confident he will get his hand raised. He knows there is a path to victory and looks at the Rory MacDonald fight as a potential game plan on how to beat the former champion.
“There are many ways to beat him, he has been beaten before. He’s been knocked out before, he’s been outworked before and kept long as Rory did to him,” Edwards explained. “I’m looking forward to going out there and proving to the world just how good I am. It is a great matchup and I can’t wait.”
Edwards is confident in himself and knows this is the most important fight of his career. He’s ecstatic to headline UFC London and says he has already gotten in “The Chosen Ones” head.
But, the Englishman isn’t sure if being in Woodley’s head will impact the fight at all.
“For sure. I’m getting in his head. It doesn’t mean much, getting in someone’s head doesn’t mean much,” Edwards said. “So I’m just hoping he makes it to the fight and makes it healthy and we can have a good fight.”
How he has gotten in Woodley’s head is simple. He forced him to come to London and in the process has been vocal about his thoughts on the former champ’s music. He also says he may walk out to Woodley’s song to add salt to the wound.
“I might do it, I’m thinking about it,” he said. “I’ll play it somewhere maybe open workouts. His music is s**t though.”
In the end, Leon Edwards is confident but even with the trash-talk and confidence, he knows how dangerous Woodley is. He’s preparing for the best the former champ has to offer and will see how it all plays out in a month’s time.
“I’m preparing for the best Tyron Woodley there is. I’m excited about the fight,” he concluded.
Who do you think will win the fight between Leon Edwards and Tyron Woodley and UFC London?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 2/13/2020.