Leon Edwards' out of the blue question for Nina-Marie Daniele leaves the internet reeling - "Making sure she wasn't one of Belal Muhammad's spies"

Leon Edwards' unexpected question to Nina-Marie Daniele has elicited hilarious reactions from many in the MMA community.

Jamaica-born UK MMA fighter Leon 'Rocky' Edwards is the reigning UFC welterweight champion. On the other hand, Nina-Marie Daniele is an American social media influencer. Since 2022, Daniele has carved a unique niche for herself as a well-known MMA personality, primarily interviewing UFC fighters.

During a recent interview, Edwards asked Daniele about her ethnicity:

"What are you? Are you Arab?"

Nina-Marie Daniele replied by noting that she's from the United States of America. The 2018 Playboy Playmate of the Year stated:

"No, I'm American."

Edwards posed a similar question again. The Birmingham native asked:

"Yeah, but, like, what's your background?"

Daniele then revealed that she's of French and Italian descent. The social media influencer asserted:

"Italian. French-Italian."

Check out Edwards and Daniele's comments below:

The MMA world subsequently chimed in on Leon Edwards' out-of-the-blue question to Nina-Marie Daniele. Some fans jested by recalling that fellow UK MMA star, interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, had also recently asked Daniele a rather surprising question.

Additionally, many X users lightheartedly suggested that 'Rocky' was perhaps socially awkward and was representing fans of his ilk with the peculiar query.

Moreover, some fans alluded to Edwards' rivalry with American UFC welterweight Belal Muhammad, who's of Palestinian descent. They joked that he (Edwards) would've walked out of the interview if Daniele said she was of Arab descent. One fan tweeted that Edwards probably suspected that Daniele was Muhammad's spy:

"Bro got shook, was making sure she wasn’t one of @bullyb170 spys"

Check out a few screenshots of the fan reactions to the interaction below:

Screenshots of fan reactions

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What's next for Leon Edwards after UFC 296?

Leon Edwards' most recent fight witnessed him successfully defend his UFC welterweight belt by defeating Colby Covington via unanimous decision at UFC 296 on December 16, 2023. Edwards' longtime foe, Belal Muhammad, was watching the matchup octagon-side. 'Remember the Name' notably reacted to Edwards' victory by labeling both him and Covington as "b*ms."

Watch Muhammad's jibe at Edwards and Covington below:

Back in March 2021, then-welterweight contender Leon Edwards faced Belal Muhammad in a fight that ended up being a No Contest (NC), as an eye poke from 'Rocky' incapacitated Muhammad. They've been at odds ever since. While Edwards captured the welterweight belt in August 2022, Muhammad ascended the welterweight ranks.

Belal Muhammad has been relentlessly lobbying for a title shot against 'Rocky.' Presently, neither fighter's next matchup has been officially announced. During the UFC 296 post-fight press conference, Edwards, for his part, indicated that he wasn't interested in fighting Muhammad next. The welterweight champ noted:

"I don't feel like Belal should be next."