Leon Edwards eyes Sean Strickland vs. Dricus du Plessis winner after UFC 296

13/11/2023 21:00

The 2023 ESPY Awards — Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Leon Edwards wants to become the UFC's latest two-division champion, targeting a move to middleweight after getting through Colby Covington in December.

At UFC 296, Edwards defends his title for the second time after besting Kamaru Usman in back-to-back fights. But the welterweight champ doesn't have much interest in staying at 170 pounds.

Instead, the 32-year-old British fighter likes the idea of tackling another division, and the Sean Strickland vs. Dricus du Plessis middleweight title fight at UFC 297 is an appealing option.

"100 percent, definitely," Edwards told Sky Sports when asked about moving up to middleweight. "I feel especially with someone like [Sean] Strickland, and I think he's fighting [Dricus] Du Plessis soon, so either of them two would be great to fight.

"I'm big myself. I feel like that would be perfect. I feel like me going out and being double-champ, first ever from the UK to do it. That's definitely one of my goals. That's on the cards for sure."

Strickland defends his middleweight title on Jan. 20 in Toronto. He has plenty of challengers waiting in the wings. Undefeated Chechen wrecking machine Khamzat Chimaev is ready after earning a title shot in October, while Belal Muhammad was promised a chance to fight for the welterweight title after defeating Gilbert Burns in May.

Muhammad's recent win extended his current unbeaten streak to 10 fights. Add to that, he fought Edwards to a no-contest back in 2021 after an eye poke ended their main event showdown.

Despite those potential hurdles, Edwards believes his pursuit to become a two-division UFC champion could happen sooner rather than later, especially with a monumental card expected to take place in early 2024.

"Next would be perfect, to be honest," Edwards said. "The division right now, there's no one that's exciting in the division so for me to go out there to do that, that would be perfect. UFC 300, I like that. To put me on that card would be massive. Let's see."

First things first, Edwards has to beat Covington on Dec. 16. Then he can start plotting a future that could include a shot at the UFC middleweight champion.