LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 13: A general view of a UFC championship belt (Photo by Jeff ... [+] Bottari/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCFormer UFC welterweight champion and current No. 1 contender Leon Edwards seems destined to return at UFC London on March 22, but his opponent has been a bit of a mystery.According to Benny P, an insider on the Australian MMA scene, Edwards will be facing no. 4 contender, Jack Della Maddalena in what would be a wildly exciting main event for the show.The Matchmaker picked up the report and posted it on social media as well.As the Matchmaker pointed out, this fight still has to be treated as a rumor for now. However, it does make sense.The UFC is going to try to deliver a big fight to headline the card in London, and putting the hometown hero Edwards in action is a given. Matching him with an all-action contender like JDM, who also has a large following, makes for a potential blockbuster.MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JULY 27: Leon Edwards of Jamaica prepares to face Belal Muhammad in the UFC ... [+] welterweight championship bout during the UFC 304 event at Co-op Live on July 27, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesEdwards hasnt fought since he lost the welterweight title to Belal Muhammad in July. JDM has been out dealing with an injury since he stopped Gilbert Burns in March.It should be mentioned that JDM was rumored to be the opponent for another former champion, Kamaru Usman, in his return at UFC 312, which is in the latters home country of Australia.MORE FOR YOUMIAMI, FLORIDA - MARCH 09: Jack Della Maddalena of Australia prepares to face Gilbert Burns of ... [+] Brazil in a welterweight fight during the UFC 299 event at Kaseya Center on March 09, 2024 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesThat fight is still listed as a rumored upcoming fight on Tapology, and some reports suggest it isnt happening. The UFC may be faced with deciding whether it is more valuable to have JDM in his country or Edwards in his, or it could hinge on Usmans readiness.In any case, the smarter bet for JDMs return is against Edwards in London. The UFC 312 card already has a strong fight at the top of its lineup, with Dricus du Plessis defending his title against Sean Strickland in a rematch.Weili Zhang will also be defending her strawweight title against No. 1 contender Tatiana Suarez in the co-main event. Theres also still a chance we see Alexander Volkanovski added to that card in a matchup with Diego Lopes for an interim championship.Because of the strength of UFC 312s card and the potential to make it even stronger without JDM-Usman, it seems like JDM-Edwards is the better move.But well likely know for sure soon after the new year.Whats Next For the UFC?LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 08: In this UFC handout, Mackenzie Dern poses on the scale during the ... [+] UFC Fight Night weigh-in at UFC APEX on October 08, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images)Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesAs contenders attempt to get into a position to challenge Weili for her title, No. 6 strawweight Mackenzie Dern faces No. 9 Amanda Ribas in the main event of UFC Vegas on January 11.The UFC Apex event is the first UFC show of 2025, and it will end a three-week hiatus for the promotion. Here is a look at the entire card:Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas - StrawweightSantiago Ponzinibbio vs. Carlston Harris - WelterweightAbdul Razak Alhassan vs. Csar Almeida - MiddleweightChris Curtis vs. Roman Kopylov - MiddleweightAustin Bashi vs. Christian Rodriguez - FeatherweightPunahele Soriano vs. Uro Medi - WelterweightJose Johnson vs. Felipe Bunes - FlyweightMarco Tlio vs. Ihor Potieria - MiddleweightThiago Moiss vs. Trey Ogden - LightweightAndreas Gustafsson vs. Preston Parsons - WelterweightErnesta Kareckaite vs. Nicolle Caliari - FlyweightMagomed Gadzhiyasulov vs. Bruno Lopes - Light HeavyweightViktoriia Dudakova vs. Fatima Kline - StrawweightNurullo Aliev vs. Yanal Ashmouz - Lightweight