Leon Edwards last defended his welterweight title in a trilogy clash against Kamaru Usman at UFC 286 in March.
UFC president Dana White subsequently insisted on Colby Covington being next in line for the title shot, drawing protests from other elite welterweights like Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad.
While White has stood firm on his stance, there has since been a lull in fight talks, which has raised some concerns among fans. Fabian Edwards, who makes his own bid for gold at Bellator 299 at the 3Arena in Dublin on Sept. 23, recently addressed fans’ concerns about the delay in the UFC champ’s next title defense.
According to the champion’s younger brother, the delay is mainly due to negotiations, as “Rocky” is training and ready to go.
“Fans keep asking but he's ready to go, he's ready to get in there it's just about the negotiations,” Fabian told The Daily Star . “It’s about location and so many things. At the moment the focus is on me ,and I'm in the cage but he's training and ready. It's great having him there if we need to lean on each other, having a champion that's been there and done it.”
There has certainly been a general lull in activity in the upper echelon of the UFC’s welterweight division, with No. 2-ranked contender Colby Covington having not competed in a year and a half. None of the top five welterweights have fought in the last six months other than Muhammad, who many consider to be the rightful title No. 1 contender.
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