Leon Edwards has questioned whether Michael Page will ever challenge for the Ultimate Fighting Championship title.
Page (22-3) made his Octagon debut in March at UFC 299, winning a unanimous decision over Kevin Holland. “MVP” lost a unanimous decision to Ian Garry at UFC 303 last month in his second year with the promotion.
Meanwhile, Edwards (22-3) is scheduled to defend his welterweight title against Belal Muhammad this weekend at UFC 304 in Manchester, England, and Page recently said that a potential future matchup with fellow Brit Edwards would be a huge fight in the UK.
“Rocky” acknowledges that a fight with Page would certainly be a big deal in the UK, but doesn’t think the former Bellator MMA star will move up the ranks to face him. Edwards believes that if Page had beaten Garry and then beat an elite fighter like Shavkat Rakhmonov, he might have been in title contention. But Edwards believes that the now 37-year-old made the move from Bellator to UFC a little too late. Judging by Page’s performance against Garry, Edwards wonders if “MVP” can hold his own against other top fighters.
UFC 304: Edwards vs. Muhammad, Saturday at 10 pm ET on ESPN+. Order now! “If he beat Ian and maybe beat Shafqat one more time, that would be a big deal in the UK,” Edwards said at UFC 304 media day. “But I think it was too late to move to UFC. I wish it had happened a little sooner. Will I be a title contender? I don’t know. There are a lot of top guys in this division. Ian’s not a great wrestler. Ian was a better grappler than you. Ian’s not strong, but Ian was a better grappler than you. So, I don’t know.”
Edwards agrees that a fight with Paige would be historic for the region, but believes it will only build excitement if “MVP” qualifies. According to “Rocky,” planning a big fight is just lip service unless he can provide a good case for why he deserves it.
“If he beats the next champion, then of course it would be one of the biggest fights in UFC history, but you have to work to get there. You can’t say, ‘If only I could fight Mike Tyson,’ it doesn’t matter. It’s going to be big unless you go out there, win fights and put yourself in position to fight for the title.”
