Leon Edwards has slowly been climbing the UFC welterweight rankings, posting a 7-1 record in his past eight contests. The tests have been gradually getting tougher for Edwards recently but the Jamaican-born fighter is about to take a big leap when he challenges Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in Singapore on June 23. And though Cerrone is the bigger name, Edwards will enter the bout as the considerable favorite.
The location of the bout could give bettors a tip on who to back in this fight. Edwards has won his past seven fights outside the United States – only once has he fought in America – while “Cowboy” has only fought outside of North America twice in his career, and only once since 2007. Cerrone’s most recent bout as an underdog saw him get knocked out by Darren Till in Poland.
In addition, Edwards rarely disappoints as a betting favorite. “Rocky” is 5-0 in his last five bouts as the favorite, with his last upset defeat coming at the hands of Claudio Henrique da Silva in his UFC debut in 2014.
Edwards is a diverse fighter who has slowly added secondary skill sets to his striking acumen. On the feet, he sports a nice mixture of strikes and has legit power. And it is always important to keep in mind that his southpaw stance can create problems for more orthodox fighters. Edwards’ biggest issue has been his relatively low output as a striker.
This could be a rare spot for Cerrone, as the action fighter has only been an underdog on three occasions in his past 12 fights dating back to the beginning of 2015. Those three fights have seen Cerrone go 1-2 with losses in the two most recent.
Cerrone is always looking to end a fight, either with his devastating striking arsenal or submission skills. Twenty-five of his 33 career victories have come via stoppage, which includes each of his past six wins. If there is one weakness, Cerrone has shown that pressure fighters can cause him all kinds of issues.
If you are backing Edwards, you are hoping the younger fighter can get a hold of Cerrone and grind him out until his more methodical striking can take over. Cerrone backers expect “Cowboy” to aggressively hunt Edwards around the Octagon until he can make “Rocky” break.
For a more in-depth preview of Cerrone vs Edwards, check out OddsShark’s FightCenter for all the stats and info you could need.