Getty Khamzat Chimaev during UFC 273.
UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards’ coach, Dave Lovell, could see Khamzat Chimaev getting a shot at the title.
The second-ever British UFC champion Edwards is coming off a huge win over the former division title holder and pound-for-pound king, Kamaru Usman, in his last outing at UFC 278. Usman put on another dominant performance until the last minute of the fight when a vicious head kick from Edwards landed flush on the chin to send Usman crashing down to the canvas for the first time in his professional career.
It also marked Usman’s first loss in the promotion. Considering how dominant he had been at the top, UFC president Dana White indicated an immediate trilogy fight would be in the works for Usman and Edwards. White had also stated that the winner of the upcoming bout between rising prospect Khamzat Chimaev and grizzled veteran Nate Diaz would be in line for a title shot.
Lovell believes a statement win by Chimaev over Diaz, who goes into the outing as the last fight of his contract, could make him the top contender in the 170-pound division. dispatches
“If he does beat Nate and manages to beat Nate in a badly fashion and retire him, I think somehow they’ll be looking to slip him in somewhere down the line,” Lovell told MMA Junkie.
Lovell Is Not Interested in Giving Colby Covington a Title Shot
In Feb. 2021, former interim UFC welterweight champion Colby Covington took a dig at Edwards after being linked for a potential showdown. He called Edwards “Leon Scott” and shut down talks of the idea, arguing that Edwards was a nobody.
With “Rocky” sitting at the top now, Lovell expressed his lack of interest in fighting Covington in a snappy response back.
“Colby, you little redneck, you can stay furthermore,” Lovell said. “It’s (Leon’s) time to talk. It’s his time to let these so-called big mouths – Colby called him what? Didn’t even call him by his name. What was he calling him? Leon Scott? Well, I’ve got news for him now. It’s not Leon Scott. Call him Sir Leon Scott from this day on.
“When we get around to you (Covington), we’ll deal with you, mate.”
Edwards Was Accused of Cheating at UFC 278
While many were recovering from the dramatic events that happened in Edwards’ win at Salt Lake City Utah, former title challenger Chael Sonnen lodged allegations against Edwards, claiming he cheated on numerous occasions during the fight to become the new champion.
“Kamaru Usman is very likely to smother you and change you when he’s on top of you,” Sonnen said (ht MMA Fighting). “He is most likely to finish a fight from that position, particularly when he has you pinned up against the fence. Kamaru did three times, Leon changed the position and got out of that three times by cheating.
“So now you’re in a fifth round that you never should’ve been in, potentially – you take a kick in a fight that you were winning, that you were trying to finish, and you had the position you needed to get said finish and the opponent cheated three times.”