WOW! Gilbert Burns Picks Leon Edwards Over Khamzat Chimaev and Colby Covington as Top Threat to Kamaru Usman
Former UFC welterweight title contender Gilbert Burns spoke to Brendan Schaub on ‘Food Truck Diaries’ and weighed in on the state of the division. ‘Durinho’ Burns is coming off a ‘Fight of the Year’ contender against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273 in a fight he went on to lose.
Despite the loss, Burns is one of the top contenders in the division and is just a few strong performances away from fighting for the belt once again. In the meantime, he has a polarising opinion on the next contender, who is set to face Kamaru Usman.
Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards has finally received his call-up to scrap against Usman and possibly dethrone the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’. Given Usman’s dominance in the cage, many fans believe that he’ll simply use his wrestling prowess to control the Brit on the canvas.
Gilbert Burns picks Leon Edwards to become the next welterweight champion
Burns would reveal in a recent interview that he favored the dynamic striker in a match-up against Kamaru Usman. Burns is a former training partner and opponent of Usman, so his insight into the matter is most certainly relevant.
“I’m telling you right now, Leon Edwards is very underrated. “That guy is very good. Just think about it: a striker, long and a southpaw. That’s already tough, and that guy has a great team.”
“I know Kamaru pretty well, but that fight is gonna be close,” added Burns. “That fight is gonna be close, and I think if you got these three guys, me in my opinion, Colby, Khamzat, and Leon, Leon has the best chance to beat Usman.”
Additionally, he credited Edwards for being a striker who could also grapple and this has led Burns to pick Leon Edwards as the dark horse to dethrone the long-reigning champion.
“I think because he’s a striker, and he can grapple, and he can wrestle. Very long. These other guys are wrestlers. They can strike, don’t get me wrong. Both guys (Covington, Chimaev) can strike, but they are wrestlers. That guy (Edwards) is a striker. [h/t maclife.com]
‘Rocky’ Edwards surely has an uphill battle to knock off the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world. However, he’s shown himself to be a multifaceted fighter and might just be able to overcome the odds.
