UFC on ESPN 4 Preview
There are always those fighters who tend to fall under the radar despite their ability to win fights and put together great runs.
These fighters are the ones who often don’t get the major attention because they never seem to make much noise.
Yet fight after fight they step up and put on a show to at least put on a good fight if not to win multiple fights.
Leon Edwards is one of those fighters but he takes on a strange part in the UFC as he seems like someone who has been around for a while but is only coming into his athletic prime.
Since 2014 Edwards has been a part of the UFC roster making him a part of one of the biggest eras of the promotion.
He was a member of the roster when the UFC was getting close to the major sports and when people were beginning to pay attention more.
It was good for Edwards as he could ride that momentum into a lot of success but at the same time, he was on the roster among some of the biggest stars ever.
It was a difficult spot to be in but he continued to fight on smaller cards and in prelims and quietly put together an impressive record.
Since entering the UFC, Edwards has only lost twice with the last of those losses coming in 2015.
It has been an impressive three years since that last loss though as Edwards has put together a seven-fight win streak.
It has been a great one and in most cases, someone who has been on the roster for six years is entering the latter half of their career.
If they haven’t made a run at this point the time is usually running out as it is never easy to make the UFC so most fighters are already a certain age when they get to the UFC.
Edwards is not there though as he is only 27 meaning he is entering the prime of his athletic life in perfect time to make a run.
That run is beginning to take shape as he has been able to add some big names in the last two years.
After years of fighting on undercards and on smaller cards, he is beginning to take on bigger names.
After beating Donald Cerrone and Gunnar Nelson in his last two fights he is beginning to be viewed as a serious contender in the welterweight division.
It seems to have been a long time but now he gets a chance against another big name to make sure he enters that title conversation.
That big name is former lightweight champion, Rafael Dos Anjos who made his move to the welterweight division last year and began making his own run to a title.
He has struggled recently though after two straight losses but both of those losses came against some of the best in the division.
Losing to Colby Covington and current champion Kamaru Usman is not a bad thing but for Dos Anjos, they were necessary to get that second title.
Now after getting back in the win column against Kevin Lee he looks to gain back some momentum.
Getting the win for Dos Anjos would mean that he stopped a young fighter in his tracks to prove he is still in the running.
By beating Edwards, he will make his way towards that title shot when the men at the top begin to figure things out.
If Edwards can take the win it will be another big name on the list of wins in his second headlining event.
That could be a big boost for his run through the division as three straight wins against big names gives him some momentum.
It will finally take him from the prelims to the main card and provide that reasoning to make him a real contender.
For Edwards, it is about taking him out of obscurity at the perfect time to go after Usman or whoever takes that title.