Leon Edwards is starting to turn some heads in the UFC welterweight division. Heading into UFC on ESPN 4 in San Antonio with seven-straight wins, "Rocky" faced arguably the stiffest test of his career against former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos.
Unphased by the pressure, Edwards put on the best performance of his career and came out with a decisive win. Calm and collected, Edwards approached dos Anjos with a tactical and calculated approach. After five rounds, the jdugest scored the fight 50-45, 49-46, and 49-46 in favor of Edwards.
Edwards opened the fight with a surprising takedown that kept dos Anjos on his back for much of the round. Edwards weathered some pretty hard leg kicks and showed masterful defense anytime dos Anjos started to get aggressive. While many fighters become overwhelmed with the speed of dos Anjos, Edwards not only matched him punch-for-punch, but even landed the more powerful blows. Perfectly timed elbows from Edwards opened up a cut above dos Anjos's right eye, but seemed to have little impact on the fight in the later rounds.
Check out some of the highlights from the main event at UFC on ESPN 4:
For five rounds, Edwards outworked, out-punched, and outwrestled dos Anjos. Anytime dos Anjos looked to become the aggressor and build momentum, Edwards smartly countered with a clinch and then attacked quickly after working for separation. It was undoubtedly Edwards's best performance of his career.
With the impressive win, Edwards pushed his winning streak to eight-straight victories. He trails only current welterweight champion Kamaru Usman (10) for the longest winning streak in the division.
But post-fight, Edwards, who entered Saturday ranked as the No. 12 welterweight, did not challenge Usman for the title. Instead, he took aim at fellow contendor Jorge Masvidal, the No. 3 welterweight who has knocked out both Darren Till and Ben Askren.
“I’m on an eight-fight winning streak in one of the hardest division’s in the sport,” Edwards said. “There’s a little weasel called Jorge Masvidal. Accept the fight and let’s do it. You’re not on my level. Let’s make the fight happen. Me, Jorge Masvidal. Let’s make the fight happen."
The beef between Edwards and Masvidal extends back to March when the two were involved in a backstage scrap. The two traded words before Masvidal — who was in the middle of an interview — walked over to Edwards with his hands behind his back before launching a surprise attack. Masvidal threw a series of punches towards Edwards before security split the pair.