Leon Edwards plans to defend title at UFC 300, also ‘in talks’ to fight in Birmingham

Leon Edwards has massive plans for 2024.

The reigning welterweight champion was in attendance for a match in Birmingham, England, between his club Aston Villa and Burnley on Saturday, and he was brought on the field to address the fans at halftime. During his brief interview, Edwards announced that he plans to fight at UFC 300 and then defend his title again sometime this summer in Birmingham.

“I will defend my belt in April at UFC 300 in Vegas again, then hopefully in the summertime get a show back in Birmingham at Villa Park,” Edwards said. “I’m in talks with the UFC, so hopefully we can get it done.”

Listen to Edwards’ announcement below, courtesy of MMA Orbit:

The UFC has announced several high-profile bouts for its milestone event on April 13, including Jiri Prochazka vs. Aleksandar Rakic and Aljamain Sterling vs. Calvin Kattar, but the lineup is still without a title fight. It appears that an Edwards title defense could be in the works or, at the very least, that the champion is volunteering his services.

Edwards closed out 2023 with a unanimous decision win over Colby Covington at UFC 296 in December. It was Edwards’ second consecutive successful defense of the welterweight title and his 12th straight win (excluding one no-contest).