After defeating Rafael dos Anjos, Leon Edwards climbs eight positions in the welterweight rankings

L. Edwards (photo) wins fight against R. dos Anjos. Photo: Reproduction / Twitter ufceurope

The welterweight (up to 77kg.) Leon edwards achieved a great feat by beating the Brazilian Rafael dos Anjos his last appointment, at UFC San Antonio, last Saturday (20). The Jamaican with English nationality rose from 12th place to fourth, which was occupied by the Brazilian before this weekend's clash. The information was confirmed based on the Ultimate ranking update on the organization's official website. The Niteroi native is now in fifth place in the category.

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the commitment to Rafael dos Anjos, from the beginning, it was not easy. In the main fight of UFC San Antonio, the Brazilian would have a younger opponent with a visibly larger size. During five rounds of confrontation, Dos Anjos was completely dominated by his opponent, who took advantage of his greater weight (at the time of the clash) and wingspan to better control the distance and make the best attacks.

After the confrontation, Edwards managed to leave the back group and establish himself among the five elite athletes in the category. Ahead of him, at the moment, Leon only has Jorge masvidal, Colby covington, Tyron woodley and the champion, Kamaru Usman. Upon leaving the octagon, Edwards made a point of launching his first challenge. The fighter invited Jorge masvidal, who recently gained great notoriety within the company after delivering the fastest knockout in UFC history to Ben Askren (5s), sharing the Octagon. Masvidal, however, promptly declined the offer, since, according to the American, the Ultimate management had promised him a chance to face the champion.

Among the athletes in the front group, only Masvidal and Woodley do not have any commitments scheduled. The UFC, then, must analyze the possibilities and decide what Leon's future is within the division.

With the setback, Dos Anjos, who found himself in a comfortable situation within the category, but with no real chance of fighting for the belt, will have to win again to regain his status as a possible challenger. In his last five clashes, the 34-year-old Niteroi native has triumphed on just two occasions. The last one, about Kevin Lee, which took place in May this year.

Edwards, 27 years old, in turn, has won eight consecutive victories. The fighter's last defeat happened to the category champion, Usman, in 2015, more than three years ago.

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