Tag: leon edwards

Leon Edwards vs. Jack Della Maddalena Official For UFC London Main Event

Former UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards has had his return to action in the first quarter of next year confirmed. Edwards hasn’t competed since losing his grip on the 170-pound crown at UFC 304 in Manchester this past July, where he was convincingly defeated by Belal Muhammad in their headline rematch. “Rocky” has vowed to […]

Former UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards has had his return to action in the first quarter of next year confirmed.

Edwards hasn’t competed since losing his grip on the 170-pound crown at UFC 304 in Manchester this past July, where he was convincingly defeated by Belal Muhammad in their headline rematch.

“Rocky” has vowed to finish the new year with the gold back in his possession and announced that the path toward achieving that will start with a return in the main event of the UFC’s confirmed return to London on March 22.

A number of names floated around regarding an opponent, from the seemingly unretired Jorge Masvidal to top 10 contenders Ian Garry and Sean Brady. Ultimately, the assignment has fallen to Jack Della Maddalena.

During a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Australian insider Benny P first reported on Della Maddalena’s planned trip to London to share the cage with “Rocky.”

And Friday night, the promotion officially announced the bout, alongside the rest of the lineup for March 22.

Della Maddalena hasn’t made the walk since a victory over Gilbert Burns at UFC 299 this past March. The Australian put his name in Comeback of the Year discussion by avoiding certain defeat on the scorecards with a late knockout.

The Perth native has now won 17 straight fights since an 0-2 start to his professional career, a run that includes a perfect 7-0 UFC record. With that in mind, a triumph over a recent champ in Edwards would likely secure the #4-ranked contender a first title shot.

High-Stakes Matchup: Leon Edwards Rumored to Fight Jack Della Maddalena at UFC London

High-Stakes Matchup: Leon Edwards Rumored to Fight Jack Della Maddalena at UFC LondonSorry Sean Brady, it looks like the UFC has another opponent in mind for former welterweight king Leon Edwards….

High-Stakes Matchup: Leon Edwards Rumored to Fight Jack Della Maddalena at UFC London

Sorry Sean Brady, it looks like the UFC has another opponent in mind for former welterweight king Leon Edwards.

With the promotion heading back to London on March 22 for another loaded Fight Night card in The Big Smoke, fans have been waiting with bated breath to find out who ‘Rocky’ will square off with in his highly anticipated return to the Octagon.

Following an impressive showing at Fury Grappling 12 on Saturday, fifth-ranked contender Sean Brady called for a clash with Edwards. However, a recent report from Aussie news breaker Benny P suggests that the promotion is in the process of finalizing a fight between Edwards and Perth native Jack Della Maddalena.

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“It does seem like this is gonna happen, I’ve heard it from multiple sources from the JDM camp,” Benny P said in a video on his YouTube channel. “I just can’t imagine that all these people are hearing this if there’s no weight to it. Especially because it doesn’t appear like it’s going to be Usman at all.”

Since earning his contract on a 2021 episode of Dana White’s Contender Series, ‘JDM’ has rattled off seven-straight wins inside the Octagon, his most recent victory coming against perennial contender Gilbert Burns at UFC 299 in March.

Is Leon Edwards replacing Kamaru Usman as JDM’s next opponent?

Previously, Maddalena was linked to a fight with another former welterweight titleholder, Kamaru Usman.

“I don’t know what’s going on with Usman, to be honest with you,” Benny P continued. “I don’t know why Usman is out of this equation because it was looking very likely that it was going to be Usman vs. Jack Della, so I’m not sure what has happened to Usman, if he’s injured, if they found another opponent? But it does very likely we’re going to see Jack Della Maddalena vs. Leon Edwards in London, March 22nd.”

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Overall, Maddalena is 17-2 in his mixed martial arts career, including a 7-0 run under the UFC banner.

For Edwards, it will be his first time competing since surrendering the 170-pound title to Belal Muhammad in July.

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High-Stakes Matchup: Leon Edwards Rumored to Fight Jack Della Maddalena at UFC London

High-Stakes Matchup: Leon Edwards Rumored to Fight Jack Della Maddalena at UFC LondonSorry Sean Brady, it looks like the UFC has another opponent in mind for former welterweight king Leon Edwards….

High-Stakes Matchup: Leon Edwards Rumored to Fight Jack Della Maddalena at UFC London

Sorry Sean Brady, it looks like the UFC has another opponent in mind for former welterweight king Leon Edwards.

With the promotion heading back to London on March 22 for another loaded Fight Night card in The Big Smoke, fans have been waiting with bated breath to find out who ‘Rocky’ will square off with in his highly anticipated return to the Octagon.

Following an impressive showing at Fury Grappling 12 on Saturday, fifth-ranked contender Sean Brady called for a clash with Edwards. However, a recent report from Aussie news breaker Benny P suggests that the promotion is in the process of finalizing a fight between Edwards and Perth native Jack Della Maddalena.

gettyimages 2072331142 612x612 1

“It does seem like this is gonna happen, I’ve heard it from multiple sources from the JDM camp,” Benny P said in a video on his YouTube channel. “I just can’t imagine that all these people are hearing this if there’s no weight to it. Especially because it doesn’t appear like it’s going to be Usman at all.”

Since earning his contract on a 2021 episode of Dana White’s Contender Series, ‘JDM’ has rattled off seven-straight wins inside the Octagon, his most recent victory coming against perennial contender Gilbert Burns at UFC 299 in March.

Is Leon Edwards replacing Kamaru Usman as JDM’s next opponent?

Previously, Maddalena was linked to a fight with another former welterweight titleholder, Kamaru Usman.

“I don’t know what’s going on with Usman, to be honest with you,” Benny P continued. “I don’t know why Usman is out of this equation because it was looking very likely that it was going to be Usman vs. Jack Della, so I’m not sure what has happened to Usman, if he’s injured, if they found another opponent? But it does very likely we’re going to see Jack Della Maddalena vs. Leon Edwards in London, March 22nd.”

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Overall, Maddalena is 17-2 in his mixed martial arts career, including a 7-0 run under the UFC banner.

For Edwards, it will be his first time competing since surrendering the 170-pound title to Belal Muhammad in July.

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Sean Brady Shoots His Shot, Calls Out Leon Edwards for Showdown at UFC London on March 22

Sean Brady Shoots His Shot, Calls Out Leon Edwards for Showdown at UFC London on March 22Sean Brady is ready to add a former world champion to his hit list. On Saturday, the surging welterweight…

Sean Brady Shoots His Shot, Calls Out Leon Edwards for Showdown at UFC London on March 22

Sean Brady is ready to add a former world champion to his hit list.

On Saturday, the surging welterweight contender competed at Fury Grappling 12 in his hometown of Philadelphia and scored an impressive mounted guillotine submission victory over 10th Planet jiu-jitsu black belt Richie ‘Boogieman’ Martinez in the evening’s headliner.

It was Brady’s third win under the Fury Grappling Pro banner after landing wins over Craig Jones and Ben Saunders in previous appearances.

As for his mixed martial arts career, Brady currently carries a record of 7-1 inside the Octagon with noteworthy wins over Michael Chiesa, Kelvin Gastelum, and Gilbert Burns. Those victories have landed him in the welterweight top five and potentially one big W away from competing for the division’s top prize.

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Sean Brady wants to fight ‘Rocky’ inside the o2 arena

If Brady gets his wish, he’ll have the chance to earn his shot against former welterweight king Leon Edwards.

“I want to go to London, and I want to fight Leon [Edwards] in his backyard on March 22,” Brady said following his win. “Hopefully, the UFC can make that happen, but we’ll see.”

‘Rocky’ has not stepped foot inside the Octagon since surrendering the 170-pound crown to Belal Muhammad in July. The loss snapped Edwards’ 13-fight unbeaten streak, handing the Brit his first defeat since a December 2015 clash with Kamaru Usman.

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Leon Edwards Sets Timeline For Achieving Two-Time UFC Champ Status

Former UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards expects to be holding gold on MMA’s biggest stage again by the end of 2025. Edwards is eyeing a big bounce-back year after having his reign — which had successfully gotten past challenges from Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington — brought to an emphatic halt at the hands of […]

Former UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards expects to be holding gold on MMA’s biggest stage again by the end of 2025.

Edwards is eyeing a big bounce-back year after having his reign — which had successfully gotten past challenges from Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington — brought to an emphatic halt at the hands of Belal Muhammad this past July.

The pair ran it back in the headline act of UFC 304 at Manchester’s Co-op Live, where “Remember the Name” dominated across five rounds to achieve his championship ambitions on MMA’s biggest stage.

For “Rocky,” the result brought to an end his 13-fight unbeaten run and marked his first defeat since a setback at the hands of Usman way back in 2015.

With that in mind, the defeat has understandably been difficult for the Jamaica-born Brit to manage. But as this calendar year approaches its conclusion, Edwards is looking to rectify things with a big campaign in 2025.

“My goal right now is to obviously get the belt back,” Edwards told Myprotein. “I’d love to be champion again by the end of the year, next year, around this time next year.

“Just putting steps in place. I haven’t lost a fight now in, like, nine years. So, I was getting used to that feeling again. I think I hate losing more than I love winning,” Edwards continued. “My goal is to be a two-time world champion.”

For the time being, Edwards will no doubt have his eyes on some key contests coming up toward the top of the 170-pound division.

After Muhammad’s withdrawal, Shavkat Rakhmonov will defend his status as top contender opposite a fellow undefeated up-and-comer in Ian Garry at UFC 310 in Las Vegas on Dec. 7.

The following week, the charging Joaquin Buckley will look to take another step up the welterweight ladder in Tampa by adding to the woes of Covington, who has aspirations of a fourth opportunity at reaching the undisputed throne.