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Leon Edwards snubs concerns of fight threatening injury ahead of UFC London

Leon Edwards claims he's already beaten an infection ahead of UFC London.

Mathew Riddle

Leon Edwards (red gloves) fights Colby Covington (blue gloves) during UFC 296 at T-Mobile Arena.
Leon Edwards (red gloves) fights Colby Covington (blue gloves) during UFC 296 at T-Mobile Arena. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Fight fans are concerned for Leon Edwards ahead of UFC London, after spotting an alarming sign in recent training footage.

UFC London is do-or-die for 'Rocky' as he fights to retain his No. 1 contender spot in the welterweight division. He was originally scheduled to face Jack Della Maddalena, before 'JDM' was booked against Belal Muhammad at UFC 315. In lieu of Maddalena, Edwards now faces Sean Brady, a dangerous grappling threat who could replicate Muhammad's success.

Edwards promises he can beat Muhammad in the rematch, but the champion isn't so sure. Muhammad roasted Edwards in a series of Tweets, calling him 'weak mentally,' and now it's time for Edwards to prove the naysayers wrong --- only there's a chance he's entering fight week with a major hindrance.

READ MORE: Molly McCann earned worldwide fame by folding dangerous opponent with spinning elbow

Leon Edwards
Leon Edwards walks to the Octagon to fight Kamaru Usman (not pictured) during UFC 286 at O2 Arena. / Per Haljestam-Imagn Images

Leon Edwards shuts down staph infection rumors

Keen-eyed fans picked out still images from Edwards' training footage that appeared to show signs of a staph infection on his forearm. Staph is a flesh-eating bacteria that plagues fighters who train with open wounds or grazes in close contact with sweat and grime.

Edwards was also spotted with a forearm wrap in his latest YouTube video, further adding to the concerns.

However, speaking at the UFC London media day, Edwards confirmed that he had a staph infection six weeks ago, but now it's gone, and he's 'good.'

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"I actually did have it [staph] this was about six weeks ago," Edwards explained. "Took antibiotics for it, it's gone. I had no effects cardio-wise, I was fine. ... That was six weeks ago, nothing affected, I'm good."

Edwards will compete in the main event of UFC London at 1 p.m. ET, which is an early start for fans in the US. It will be Rocky's first time competing as a non-champion since his iconic head kick KO over Kamaru Usman at UFC 278.

UFC London full fight card

  • Leon Edwards vs. Sean Brady; Welterweight
  • Jan Blachowicz vs. Carlos Ulberg; Light Heavyweight
  • Kevin Holland vs. Gunnar Nelson; Welterweight
  • Molly McCann vs. Alexia Thainara; Women's Strawweight
  • Jordan Vucenic vs. Chris Duncan; Lightweight
  • Nathaniel Wood vs. Morgan Charriere; Featherweight
  • Jai Herbert vs. Chris Padilla; Lightweight
  • Lone'er Kavanagh vs. Felipe Dos Santos; Flyweight
  • Marcin Tybura vs. Mick Parkin; Heavyweight
  • Andrey Pulyaev vs. Christian Leroy Duncan; Middleweight
  • Shauna Bannon vs. Puja Tomar; Women's Strawweight
  • Caolan Loughran vs. Nathan Fletcher; Bantamweight
  • Guram Kutateladze vs. Kaue Fernandes; Lightweight

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Mathew Riddle
MATHEW RIDDLE

Mathew is a UK-based combat sports journalist, graphic designer, and SEO expert with over five years of experience in digital marketing and a dedicated four-year track record in MMA journalism. He joined MMA Knockout in 2023. Mathew's insights have been featured on Bloody Elbow, The Fight Fanatic, Heavy on UFC, Fansided, and Sportskeeda

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