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Leon Edwards Knows What He Wants To See At WrestleMania 40

And he has a winner in mind, too.

Welcome to The Weekly Takedown, Sports Illustrated’s in-depth look at MMA. Every week, this column offers insight and information on the most noteworthy stories in the fight world.

Leon Edwards knows the match he wants for WrestleMania 40

Leon Edwards knows what he wants to see for the main event at WrestleMania 40.
“I want Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk,” said Edwards. “That’s what I want to see.”

Only days removed from his conquest of Colby Covington at UFC 296, Edwards is carving out his legacy as UFC welterweight champion. His past three victories are especially impressive, twice defeating Kamaru Usman before his one-sided defeat against Covington.

Courtesy Zuffa LLC

Courtesy Zuffa LLC

Quite familiar with the main-event scene, Edwards is eager to see a match pitting Reigns–who is the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion–against the newly returned Punk at WWE’s biggest event of the year.

“I’m excited that Punk is back,” said Edwards, who is a possibility to return to action in April at UFC 300. “Those are my son’s favorites, so they’re my favorites, too.”

Punk is feuding with Seth Rollins, while Cody Rhodes appears to be on a collision course with Reigns, so that match doesn’t appear destined to take place. But Edwards is keeping the faith alive, and he is confident that Reigns will close out the show.

Unsurprisingly, whoever Reigns matches up against at WrestleMania, Edwards wants the champ to retain.

“100 percent, I like when that happens,” said Edwards with a laugh. “I want Roman to win.”


Colby Covington’s next opponent shouldn’t be Wonderboy

Colby Covington’s gimmick is far more effective when he wins.

Following his loss against Leon Edwards this past Saturday at UFC 296, it is clear Covington is no longer in line for a shot at the welterweight title. Yet he still plays an important role in the division, particularly as a gatekeeper for those who are making a push to challenge for the belt.

Courtesy Zuffa LLC

Courtesy Zuffa LLC

Despite calling out Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, the next bout for Covington should be against Shavkat Rakhmonov. Covington quickly dismissed the possibility during the UFC 296 Post-fight press conference, instead preferring Wonderboy. The notion that Covington seeks favorable matchups (which isn’t entirely true) wasn’t helped when he called out the 40-year-old Thompson, who would be out-wrestled by Covington.

Rakhmonov is one fight away from the title, but questions still remain about whether he is elite. Testing his undefeated record and 100 percent finishing rate against Covington would be an ideal way to determine whether Rakhmonov deserves a title fight.