Leon Edwards Claims Rafael dos Anjos Turned Down Fight With Him
It looks like a fight between Leon Edwards and Rafael dos Anjos won’t be happening anytime soon.
Edwards took to Twitter and claimed that the former Brazilian lightweight champion turned down a fight against him in August. He added that dos Anjos marks the fifth welterweight who has turned him down thus far:
“Got the official word that @RdosAnjosMMA turned down a fight with me in August. Add him to the list of pussies that don’t want this smoke. That makes 5 now. The so-called top welterweights are a joke #strapseason #mrdoitall“
Currently ranked at No. 11, Edwards is on a seven-fight win streak within the division. In his last two victories, Edwards has picked up wins over names such as Donald Cerrone and Gunnar Nelson. Now, he’s looking to share the Octagon against a top-tier contender that can hopefully land him a shot at the title.
As for dos Anjos, he defeated Kevin Lee in May via fourth-round submission. The victory snapped a two-fight losing streak after dropping decision losses to both Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman – both of whom went on to win welterweight gold. Dos Anjos is ranked at No. 3 in the official UFC fighter rankings at welterweight.
Perhaps the Brazilian didn’t want to take a chance fighting someone so low down on the list. Edwards, on the other hand, is looking to fight up the ranks as high as possible. Given the complicated welterweight title picture at the moment, it will be interesting to see how things shake out when it’s all said and done.
