Former champion Leon Edwards will test rising welterweight contender Jack Della Maddalena in the UFC Fight Night 255 main event.
After losing the title to Belal Muhammad in July, Edwards (21-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) will have a chance to rebound on home soil when he returns to headline against Della Maddalena (17-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) at the March 22 event from The O2 in London (ESPN+).
Two people with knowledge of the situation confirmed the news with MMA Junkie following an initial report from Australian MMA reporter Benny P on X. The people requested anonymity because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Edwards, No. 2 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie welterweight rankings, saw his reign come to an end after two successful defenses when he dropped a unanimous decision to Muhammad at UFC 304. The 33-year-old has fallen out of the title conversation for many in the aftermath of the defeat, but “Rocky” can offer a reminder in front of his home country fans.
In order to do so, Edwards will have to get past No. 6-ranked Della Maddalena, who is riding a 17-fight winning streak in his career, including seven consecutive to open his UFC tenure. The 28-year-old Australian will get a chance to prove he’s a true title contender when he faces a former UFC champion for the first time in his first main event, and he’ll have to do it in enemy territory.
The latest UFC Fight Night 255 lineup now includes:
- Leon Edwards vs. Jack Della Maddalena
- Jan Blachowicz vs. Carlos Ulberg
- Mick Parkin vs. Marcin Tybura
- Shauna Bannon vs. Puja Tomar
- Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Andrey Pulyaev
- Molly McCann vs. Istela Nunes
- Alonzo Menifield vs. Oumar Sy
- Felipe dos Santos vs. Lone’er Kavanagh
- Morgan Charriere vs. Nathaniel Wood
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 255.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Leon Edwards returns for UFC Fight Night 255 headliner vs. Jack Della Maddalena
