Top UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards is very confident ahead of his five-round co-main event against Nate Diaz at UFC 262 on May 15.
Edwards spoke with ESPN's Ariel Helwani on his show Ariel Helwani's MMA Show about a myriad of topics including the matchup with Diaz. He talked about how the fight with the Stockton, California fan-favorite came to be and how adding a name of Diaz's star power will only do good things for his resume going forward.
"Nate's a veteran of the sport, he's been around for a long time," Edwards said. "He's fought the who's-who of the sport, so this will be a good name to add to my resume. I know it's going to be hard work for him, to come against a natural welterweight one that can switch southpaw, orthodox, fight both stances, got great wrestling, great jiu-jitsu. So, it's going to be a good fight, I like his mental attitude to the game. I like the way he thinks of it and it's going to be an entertaining fight."
He continued on about the fight being the first five-round co-main event in the promotion's history and whether the fighting being an extended ten minutes would favor either his or Diaz's style come May 15 in Houston, Texas.
"Everyone's saying that it benefits Nate because of when he fought Masvidal and he was getting battered for like three rounds and rounds four, five he was planning to turn it on," Edwards said. "We'll see, if that's his game plan it's going to be a long, long first three rounds. But let's say I go out there and batter him from pillar to post for three rounds, you only got two rounds to win. Let's say he does win the two rounds, which he won't, even if he does win them I still won the fight. I've never been stopped, never been submitted, never been knocked out, so I don't understand what difference it would make. I'm coming there to hurt him, I'm coming there to put him away, I'm coming in there to prove that I'm levels above these guys and I truly believe that."
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