Sonnen: UFC offered Leon Edwards to ‘step aside’ and allow McGregor vs. Usman

Chael Sonnen says Leon Edwards has been told to ‘step aside’ to allow Conor McGregor vs. Kamaru Usman.

UFC welterweight Leon Edwards has been made an offer to ‘step aside’ and allow Conor McGregor to fight Kamaru Usman.

That’s according to multiple-time UFC title challenger turned MMA analyst Chael Sonnen, who says the UFC has offered Edwards his show and win money to allow McGregor to step in and replace him against Usman.

Edwards was all but confirmed to challenge Usman for the welterweight title in July but, if this rumor is true, which Sonnen doubts, would ‘Rocky’ actually step aside and allow McGregor to take his place?

Highly unlikely, says Sonnen, but Usman vs. Edwards is still far from a done deal.

“‘We will mail you a cheque to step aside. We have the right to push you aside, we don’t want any hard feelings and we acknowledge that you deserve this. So, we are going to send you what you agreed on and you get to stay home.’ With the belief being that Conor’s going to step in,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel (h/t The Mirror’s Harry Davies).

“I don’t believe this rumour by the way, I’m just sharing with you anytime you don’t have something locked up... Leon [vs Kamaru] is not done. There are some real moving parts there, quite frankly I don’t know if we are going to see Kamaru Usman fight in two years from now.”

McGregor stated his intention to compete at 170 pounds when he returns to the Octagon later this year, targeting a welterweight showdown with Usman. Usman initially dismissed McGregor as an opponent but he didn’t rule out the matchup entirely.

The reigning UFC welterweight champion and men’s pound-for-pound No. 1 told TMZ Sports, “right now, we’ve kind of got Leon Edwards sitting there. You’ve got the other loudmouth little kid, what’s his name, the Irish kid, the Irish guy — you’ve got the Irish guy [Conor McGregor] on the side running his mouth too.”

Edwards has since addressed this on Twitter, and it’s safe to say he thinks Chael is talking nonsense.