UFC welterweights Nate Diaz and Leon Edwards are scheduled to fight in a five-round main card bout at UFC 263 this Saturday, and UFC president Dana White says the winner will be second in line for the welterweight title shot after top contender Colby Covington gets his rematch with Kamaru Usman.
In a recent interview with Submission Radio, White talked about the state of the UFC welterweight title picture, both confirming that Usman vs. Covington 2 is the next title fight while also putting a bit more pressure on Diaz and Edwards this coming Saturday in Glendale, AZ.
“Colby is the number one contender,” White reiterated. “We did the (Jorge) Masvidal fight, (Kamaru) Usman wanted that fight back. Colby Covington, the fight with Colby and Usman is one of the best fights I’ve ever seen in my life. He’s the No.1 contender. It’s the fight to make. Whoever wins is next after Colby.”
Usman is coming off his knockout victory at UFC 261 over Jorge Masvidal earlier this year and defeated Covington back at UFC 245. He earned the belt in a dominant unanimous decision victory over then-champion Tyron Woodley back at UFC 235.
Covington and Usman had an all-time great battle in their first fight and Covington responded to the fifth-round knockout loss by knocking out Woodley in a UFC Fight Night main event. He hasn’t competed since the win.
Diaz is making his return to the UFC octagon this weekend after a long hiatus from competition. He hasn’t fought in nearly two years since his loss to Masvidal at UFC 244 for the self-made BMF belt. Edwards has been one of the most underrated welterweights, winning eight in a row but is coming off a controversial no-contest against Belal Muhammad at UFC Vegas 21.
The Diaz vs. Edwards bout is part of a stacked UFC 263 card that features two championship fights at the top; Israel Adesanya vs. Marvin Vettori 2 and Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno 2.
Who do you think deserves the next title shot against UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman?