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Peter Akinbo
UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards has said that the potential trilogy fight against former champ Kamaru Usman must happen on his terms.
Edwards became the new welterweight king after dethroning the former pound-for-pound number one Usman with a stunning head-kick knockout at UFC 278.
They are now expected to fight again to complete the trilogy. However, Edwards has made a statement that he won’t fight Usman again anywhere but in the United Kingdom.
“It’s in Wembley, bro,” Edwards said.
“I’m not going over to the U.S. now. I did my job. I went over to Usman’s backyard and took it off him, so now he has to come to my backyard. I’m not going over there again. It’s on my terms now. He has to come over here,” Edwards added.
The Briton had a tough path towards becoming the champion. Now after finally capturing the belt, he now wants the third instalment of the fight to happen in his home turf.
Edwards became Britain’s second UFC champion ever behind UFC legend Michael Bisping. He avenged his decision loss to his first outing with Usman.
Apart from Leon Edwards, UFC president Dana White is also keen on the idea of making the trilogy bout in the biggest arena in London next. In the post-fight press conference of UFC 278, White stated that he wants their trilogy fight to take place at England’s biggest arena, Wembley Stadium.
Talking about the time of the third bout, Edwards said, “They said early next year, March-ish.”
“Early next year over here in the U.K. – the stadium show. I think they’re coming to Wembley because it’s probably cold in March,” Leon concluded.
Recently, there have been two huge UFC Fight Night events at the O2 Arena. However, the UFC has never hosted a stadium event in the U.K. before. Now that Edwards is the champion, White sees a perfect opportunity to make a huge pay-per-view out of this bout.
