UFC 322: Leon Edwards full media day interview
UFC 322 fighter Leon Edwards spoke to MMA Junkie and reporters at media day for his welterweight main card bout vs. Carlos Prates
NEW YORK – Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman have history – and now, there are some parallels.
That’s according to Edwards (22-5 MMA, 14-4 UFC), who fights Saturday vs. Carlos Prates in a pivotal welterweight bout at UFC 322. The event takes place at Madison Square Garden.
With the hustle and bustle of the current state of the upper-echelon of the UFC welterweight division, perhaps Edwards is being a bit overlooked as a potential soon-to-be-title-challenger. Edwards feels the doubt, but recognizes it’s part of the combat sports culture.
“That’s the game, right?” Edwards told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “Kamaru was on a two or three-fight losing streak, and they said the same thing, ‘He’s done, blah, blah, blah.’ Then, he comes out and beats (Joaquin) Buckley. Now, he’s like, ‘I want to fight for the title.’ That’s just the game that we’re in. It’s ‘what have you done for me lately?’ It is what it is. After Saturday night, we’ll go from there.”
Prates (22-7 MMA, 5-1 UFC) took some jabs at Edwards and his abilities in the lead-up to Saturday’s three-round bout. But Edwards repeatedly has brushed them off. The feelings are mutual, and Edwards plans to prove that Saturday on the biggest of stages.
“It’s alright,” Edwards said. “I think skills-for-skills, I’m the better fighter, the better athlete. I’ll go out and remind him who I am. The first time he moved up was Ian, and Ian beat him. His last fight, I don’t know what Geoff Neal was doing. He was walking high-guard, flat-footed, walking in, just like that. It was there to be. He was still having success. I think he’s in for a rude awakening Saturday night.”
