Leon Edwards Intends to Defend Welterweight Title at UFC 300 After Beating Covington

UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards is planning to be part of one of the biggest cards in UFC history.

According to ESPN MMA, Edwards announced Saturday at Aston Villa's Villa Park that he will defend the welterweight title at UFC 300, which is set for April 13, 2024, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Edwards enjoyed his second UFC welterweight title defense on Dec. 16 at UFC 296 when he defeated Colby Covington by unanimous decision.

Since starting his pro MMA career 10-3, Edwards has been on an absolute tear, going undefeated in his past 13 fights.

The 32-year-old veteran, who was born in Jamaica and raised in Birmingham, England, won his first UFC title at UFC 278 last year when he beat Kamaru Usman for the welterweight championship by knockout.

After handing Usman only his second career loss, Edwards proved it wasn't a fluke in the rematch, as he beat Usman again at UFC 286 by majority decision earlier this year.

During his undefeated streak, Edwards has beaten several high-profile UFC stars, including Usman, Covington, Nate Diaz, Rafael dos Anjos and Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone.

While it is unclear who Edwards will face at UFC 300 if he is indeed featured on the card, some strong candidates are waiting in the wings.

Chief among them may be Belal Muhammad, who is second in UFC's welterweight rankings behind only Usman.

Muhammad, who is in the midst of a five-fight winning streak, including a victory over Gilbert Burns in May, fought Edwards once before.

At UFC Fight Night in March 2021, Edwards vs. Muhammad was ruled a no-contest due to an accidental eye poke that rendered Muhammad unable to continue.

Edwards and Muhammad have combined to go a perfect 9-0 since then, so there would be plenty of intrigue surrounding a rematch between them.

Shavkat Rakhmonov and Burns are also options, as is a potential rematch with Covington after he and Edwards went the distance at UFC 296.