Leon Edwards is jumping back into the title chase.
The former UFC welterweight champion is set to make his return atop the bill of the UFC London event scheduled for March 22. Edwards announced the news Saturday on the DAZN broadcast of the Sunny Edwards vs. Galal Yafai boxing bout for the WBC interim flyweight title.
An opponent for Edwards has not been announced.
Edwards, 33, has been out of action since dropping his UFC welterweight title in a one-sided decision against Belal Muhammad in July 2024 at UFC 304.
Prior to that, the Birmingham native put together one of the division’s best-ever UFC streaks, going unbeaten over 13 straight bouts culminating in two title victories over Kamaru Usman and a championship rout of Colby Covington.
Edwards’ first win over Usman, in August 2022 at UFC 278, is widely considered to be one of the greatest comebacks in UFC history. True to his “Rocky” namesake, Edwards stole away the belt with a thunderous head kick knockout with less than one minute left on the clock in a bout he was soundly losing on all three judges’ scorecards. At the time of the finish, Usman was nearly unanimously considered to be MMA’s No. 1 ranked pound-for-pound male fighter.
Edwards (22-4, 1 NC) also holds notable victories over Nate Diaz, Vicente Luque, Donald Cerrone and Rafael dos Anjos, among others.
UFC’s upcoming return to London takes place at The O2 Arena and is expected to be a Fight Night event.
