Leon Edwards believes he’s a tough matchup for Nate Diaz but expects it to be “an entertaining fight”

By Cole Shelton - April 5, 2021

Leon Edwards knows he is a tough stylistic matchup for Nate Diaz.

Leon Edwards

At UFC 262 on May 15, Edwards and Diaz will fight in the first-ever five-round, non-title fight co-main event. It’s an intriguing matchup where the winner seems to be in line for a title shot.

Although Diaz is coming off a loss and hasn’t fought since UFC 244 in November of 2019 he’s a big name that can call his shots. As well, if he beats Edwards there is no denying him a title shot which would be a big money fight. However, Edwards is confident he will defeat the Stockton native.

“I know it’s gonna be hard work for him to come against a natural welterweight, one that can switch southpaw, orthodox, fight (from) both stances, got great wrestling, great jiu-jitsu. I like his mental attitude to the game, I like the way he thinks of it. It’s gonna be an entertaining fight,” Edwards said to ESPN.

Leon Edwards certainly has a point that his ability to constantly switch stances could hinder Diaz and the success he has. It will also be interesting to see how the Stockton native does after a layoff as the last time he had a long layoff is when he fought Anthony Pettis at UFC 241 and put on a clinic to clearly win the fight.

Edwards is coming off the No Contest to Belal Muhammad due to an accidental eye poke. Prior to that, he was on a seven-fight winning streak with wins over the likes of Gunnar Nelson, Donald Cerrone, Rafael dos Anjos, and Vicente Luque among others.

Nate Diaz, meanwhile, enters the fight against Edwards coming off the TKO (doctor stoppage) loss to Jorge Masvidal for the BMF belt. The fan-favorite is also 3-2 in his last five.

Are you expecting an entertaining fight between Leon Edwards and Nate Diaz at UFC 262?

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


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Leon Edwards Nate Diaz UFC