UFC Fight Night 132: Leon Edwards Looks To Jump Into the Welterweight Title Picture At UFC Singapore

By Adam Martin

The UFC welterweight division is flooded with new title contenders right now, with fighters such as Darren Till, Kamaru Usman, and interim champion Colby Covington all chasing UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley. But this weekend at UFC Fight Night 132, another fighter will look to jump into the title mix, when Leon Edwards takes on Donald Cerrone in the five-round main event. The card takes place Saturday morning at Singapore Indoor Arena in Kallang, Singapore, and an impressive win for Edwards over a big name like Cerrone could jump him into the Top 10 at 170 lbs.

Edwards has looked incredible since debuting in the UFC back in 2014, accumulating a 7-2 overall record inside the Octagon, including the five-fight win streak he currently rides into this bout against “Cowboy.” The 26-year-old Jamaican-born Brit is one of the most well-rounded fighters in the welterweight division, as he came into the UFC after a series of brutal knockouts, only to work on his overall game and turn into surprisingly one of the most effective grapplers in the division.

The problem for Edwards, however, is that he has been fighting mid-tier opponents for the most part, and when you beat unranked guys it’s hard to move up the ladder quickly. And after losing to Usman in his highest-profile fight back in 2015, his rise up the Welterweight ladder has been slow but sure, as he has taken out the likes of Albert Tumenov, Vicente Luque, Dominic Waters, Bryan Barberana, and Peter Sobotta. The Sobotta fight in particular stands out, as Edwards set the record for the latest third-round knockout in UFC history, finishing Sobotta with strikes with just one second left in their fight. And the UFC clearly has taken notice, as Sobotta is now getting his biggest test to date against Cerrone, in a main event no less. It’s clear the UFC matchmakers want to see Edwards either sink or swim.

Even though Cerrone is no longer the elite welterweight he was a few years ago, he’s still a solid fighter and is coming off of a big knockout win over Yancy Medeiros, which snapped the Hawaiian’s three-fight win streak. Cerrone is still a huge name in the sport, and he’s only really lost to great fighters in his career. If Edwards can go out there and beat Cerrone, it would speak volumes about his place in the division right now. And if he can finish Cowboy, I fully expect Edwards to jump past several welterweights in the rankings, and end just a few wins away from title contention.

Edwards has been nothing but impressive in his UFC career so far, but he is still looking for that marquee win to really make a name for himself in the welterweight division. The UFC is giving him the chance this weekend to fight Cerrone and possibly beat a big name. With an impressive win, it could really set off Edwards’ career in a big way, but with a loss, he could be stuck in welterweight purgatory for the foreseeable future. It’s a huge fight for Edwards, potentially the fight that makes or breaks his UFC career. Based on the improvements we’ve seen from him in recent fights, we should expect another great performance from Edwards, but don’t expect Cerrone to give up easily.