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“He’s probably looking at that thinking, ‘I don’t want to go over there and get beat,’ because where does he go [from there]?”
Earlier this week former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley revealed that the UFC offered him a fight in London, but ‘T-Wood’ scoffed at the idea and said he is not leaving the states unless on vacation.
“They want me to fight in London. F—k that, I’m not going all the way to London to fight. I’m the five-time world champion, I’m gonna fight f—king here”.
“When I go out of the country I wanna be on vacation.”
While Woodley didn’t reveal his opponent, Leon Edwards confirmed to MMA Fighting’s Peter Carroll that he has been in talks with the UFC over a potential top contenders bout ‘The Chosen One’ at UFC Fight Night London in March 2020.
“I’m ready to go,” Edwards said on the Eurobash podcast. “I think that’s the fight that makes the most cents. Everyone else has been matched or has just fought so I think me and Woodley, the former world champion, would be the next step to make. We’re pushing for it…hopefully it should get done.”
“What will they say when I go and beat a former world champion?” Edwards added. “What will they say then because every time I get a win they make a new excuse. Let’s see what they say after I go out there and beat someone like Tyron Woodley. I’m ready to go, I deserved that title shot two or three fights ago. I’m just gonna keep doing my thing, keep winning. I’ll be taking a very close look at the welterweight title fight this week and I’ll go from there.”
Edwards urged Woodley to accept the fight but believes the former champ is worried about losing overseas, which could spell disaster for his career.
“I feel like the fans are pushing for this now. Now, they’re getting what I’ve been saying for years, that I’m the best fighter in the U.K. I’m proving it every fight. I can see that they’re pushing to see that Woodley fight in the London main event and I think that’s the fight that makes sense,” he said.
“I’m hoping he takes it, but from what I’m hearing he won’t come to London. He says he’ll fight, but not in London. That makes no sense. We’re in negotiations now and hopefully I’ll know this week. I’m meeting with the UFC, so I’ll have more information about that and what’s going on. What I’m hearing is he doesn’t want to come to London, so we’re trying to force him to come to London.
“I’ve never lost a fight in the U.K., from amateur to pro. He’s probably looking at that thinking, ‘I don’t want to go over there and get beat,’ because where does he go [from there]? Like I said, he’s making excuses from the jump.”
Woodley hasn’t fought since he lost the welterweight title to Kamaru Usman at UFC 235. The MMA veteran was expected to bounce back against Robbie Lawler at UFC on ESPN 3 but Woodley pulled out of the bout due to injury.
Edwards, 28, is on an impressive eight-fight win streak and currently ranked #4 in the UFC welterweight rankings. The Team Renegade Fighter holds notable wins over Rafael dos Anjos, Donald Cerrone and Gunnar Nelson.