December 27, 2023 8:30 pm ET
Jon Anik believes UFC champion Leon Edwards should take on all comers if he wants to be considered welterweight great.
Edwards (22-3 MMA, 14-2 UFC) expressed his desire of surpassing Georges St-Pierre’s nine title defenses, and UFC play-by-play commentator Anik thinks he has the potential to do it. Edwards notched his second title defense when he defeated Colby Covington by unanimous decision earlier this month at UFC 296.
Going off of rankings and resume, Belal Muhammad (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) appears to be a clear-cut contender, but Edwards was dismissive of his former foe – even though their first fight ended in a no contest. If Edwards wants to eclipse St-Pierre, Anik says he should run things back with Muhammad.
“I’m not necessarily surprised,” Anik said in an interview with Bodog Canada. “It’s not Leon Edwards’ job as undisputed UFC welterweight champion to lay the foundation for his next title defense. Certainly if his aspiration is to go down as the greatest welterweight champion of all time – and by the way that is well within reach when you just beat Kamaru Usman twice and then Colby Covington. If that’s the goal, he should want to take out and beat all of these guys.
“I think you need to marry the financial goals with the career-aspirational goals. I mean, he’s a Hall of Famer first ballot, but to go down potentially as the greatest welterweight of all time, if Belal Muhammad is indeed easy work, I think that fight makes a lot of sense.”
Anik doesn’t see a rightful contender outside of Muhammad, who’s unbeaten in his past 10 fights. The only other case he can make is Khamzat Chimaev, who is currently competing at middleweight.
“When you look divisionally at some of these guys who have ironclad cases – Merab Dvalishvili comes to mind – of course he vaulted to No. 1 contender status in and around the time where his teammate Aljamain Sterling was the champion,” Anik said.
“Khamzat Chimaev is the only man who can lay claim to a welterweight title shot right now, as far as I’m concerned, other than Belal Muhammad, and he’s not competing at the weight class. Belal has one of these unbeaten streaks like all of the champions do, and he doesn’t get any pound-for-pound consideration. I just think we have to restore a little bit of order, and I do think the UFC is going to make the right decision here.”
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