Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad (UFC Vegas 21)

After the disappointing end to his UFC Vegas 21 main event bout with Belal Muhammad on Saturday night, Leon Edwards still believes he deserves the next shot at the UFC Welterweight Championship.

“[I was] going into the fight with the mentality of I wanted to fight for the belt next. So now I’m like what’s next? What do I do now? Is it a rematch? Is it someone else? I feel I deserve a title shot,” Edwards said during the post-fight show (transcript via MMA Fighting).

But does it makes sense for Leon Edwards to actually get that title fight after his most recent fight ended in a no-contest due to an eye poke? Or does he at least need one more win?

Does Leon Edwards deserve a title shot next?

Matthew Wells says it’s a stretch to be calling for the title shot right now. Wells believes a fighter must definitively win to get a title shot. We’ve seen Jose Aldo get a title shot off a loss but he’s a former champion. Edwards needs one more win.

Patrick Auger follows by saying that this fight wasn’t even a controversial decision like the Jose Aldo vs. Marlon Moraes fight. This was a no-contest because of an eye poke. He says it feels weird to give Edwards a title shot right now. But it did feel like Edwards was on his way to winning.

So, who should Leon Edwards fight next?

Wells says Edwards should fight someone else next and not take the Muhammad rematch. Muhammad should fight someone a little lower in the rankings and let Edwards get back on track on his way to a title shot. Wells says it’s time to make the Colby Covington fight. Winning that one would help prove that he’s ready for Usman.

Auger isn’t a fan of the Muhammad rematch either. He says give Muhammad someone else in the top ten and instead make the Wonderboy fight for Edwards. That’d be a great stylistic matchup to see. Both matchups make a lot of sense, though.

What do you think? Do you think Leon Edwards needs one more fight? And who should it be against? Let us know in the comments section below.

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