Leon Edwards
Rocky
United Kingdom
No-shows London main event
Edwards lost to Sean Brady via submission (guillotine choke) at 1:39 of Round 4 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in London.
ANALYSIS
Edwards certainly didn't look good in dropping his UFC Welterweight Championship to Belal Muhammad last July, but he stuck with it and had his moments. You can't say the same about this performance, in which he was dominated the entire way and looked like a fighter on his last legs. Fighting in his native England, Leon was completely smothered by the grappling game of Brady. On the rare instance in which he was upright, Edwards pushed forward in search of a front choke, and Brady immediately ended up in top position. Simply put, Edwards looked like a defeated fighter here, displaying poor skills and even worse fight IQ. It was one-way traffic the entire way. When you combine Leon's age (34 in August) with how bad he looked in this fight, it's fair to wonder if we are nearing the end.
Edwards certainly didn't look good in dropping his UFC Welterweight Championship to Belal Muhammad last July, but he stuck with it and had his moments. You can't say the same about this performance, in which he was dominated the entire way and looked like a fighter on his last legs. Fighting in his native England, Leon was completely smothered by the grappling game of Brady. On the rare instance in which he was upright, Edwards pushed forward in search of a front choke, and Brady immediately ended up in top position. Simply put, Edwards looked like a defeated fighter here, displaying poor skills and even worse fight IQ. It was one-way traffic the entire way. When you combine Leon's age (34 in August) with how bad he looked in this fight, it's fair to wonder if we are nearing the end.
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New opponent scheduled
Edwards will fight Sean Brady in a welterweight bout at UFC London on March 22.
ANALYSIS
Edward was previously set to fight Jack Della Maddena but will now face a new opponent in Sean Brady after the former was pulled to instead get a title fight at UFC 315. Edwards lost his UFC Welterweight title to Belal Muhammad his last time out, but a win over the No. 5-ranked Brady would be enough to put him right back in the title conversation.
Edward was previously set to fight Jack Della Maddena but will now face a new opponent in Sean Brady after the former was pulled to instead get a title fight at UFC 315. Edwards lost his UFC Welterweight title to Belal Muhammad his last time out, but a win over the No. 5-ranked Brady would be enough to put him right back in the title conversation.
Set to face Della Maddalena
Edwards will take on Jack Della Maddalena in a welterweight bout at UFC London on March 22, MMAJunkie.com reports.
ANALYSIS
UFC London now has its main event. Edwards will look to bounce back from a loss via unanimous decision versus Belal Muhammad in his most recent bout back in July. That interrupted a four-fight winning streak for the welterweight, and he'll get his chance to get back in the win column against a fighter in Della Maddalena who boasts a perfect 7-0 record in the UFC.
UFC London now has its main event. Edwards will look to bounce back from a loss via unanimous decision versus Belal Muhammad in his most recent bout back in July. That interrupted a four-fight winning streak for the welterweight, and he'll get his chance to get back in the win column against a fighter in Della Maddalena who boasts a perfect 7-0 record in the UFC.
Drops belt in lopsided affair
Edwards dropped the UFC Welterweight Championship on Saturday, falling to Belal Muhammad via unanimous decision (47-48, 47-48, 46-49) at UFC 304 in Manchester, England.
ANALYSIS
One of the best fighters in the sport and still underrated by many, Edwards simply didn't have it this evening. We've seen Leon struggle to defend the takedown in the past, but never to this extent. Muhammad grounded him early and often, dominating for long stretches at a time. Edwards had given up seven takedowns through just 15 minutes. He regained some momentum in Round 3, but gave it right back in Round 4. If that's not bad enough, Edwards got the worst of the vast majority of the striking exchanges between the two. Belal simply pushed forward with zero fear of what was coming back his way, and Leon didn't have an answer. The loss is going to be disappointing, but Edwards deserves a break. This was his first loss since December 2015. He had been undefeated in 13 fights (12-0, 1NC). He should get right back in the title picture with a couple strong performances.
One of the best fighters in the sport and still underrated by many, Edwards simply didn't have it this evening. We've seen Leon struggle to defend the takedown in the past, but never to this extent. Muhammad grounded him early and often, dominating for long stretches at a time. Edwards had given up seven takedowns through just 15 minutes. He regained some momentum in Round 3, but gave it right back in Round 4. If that's not bad enough, Edwards got the worst of the vast majority of the striking exchanges between the two. Belal simply pushed forward with zero fear of what was coming back his way, and Leon didn't have an answer. The loss is going to be disappointing, but Edwards deserves a break. This was his first loss since December 2015. He had been undefeated in 13 fights (12-0, 1NC). He should get right back in the title picture with a couple strong performances.
Defending title in Manchester
Edwards will defend his welterweight title against Belal Muhammad at UFC 304 in Manchester, England on July 27, per Damon Martin of MMAFighting.com.
ANALYSIS
Edwards will head into his third title defense riding an impressive 12-fight win streak dating all the way back to 2016. Edwards and Muhammad previously faced off in 2021, with the bout resulting in a No Contest following an eye poke from Edwards at the start of the second round. Edwards will head into the fight holding both size and reach advantages over the smaller American, though Muhammad will certainly be no easy task for the current champion.
Edwards will head into his third title defense riding an impressive 12-fight win streak dating all the way back to 2016. Edwards and Muhammad previously faced off in 2021, with the bout resulting in a No Contest following an eye poke from Edwards at the start of the second round. Edwards will head into the fight holding both size and reach advantages over the smaller American, though Muhammad will certainly be no easy task for the current champion.
Dominates in easy title defense
Edwards successfully retained his UFC Welterweight Championship on Saturday, defeating Colby Covington via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) at UFC 296 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
Almost everyone felt this would be a difficult title defense for Edwards. Covington would attempt to push the pace and use his wrestling game, and Leon would have to be on point in order to walk out of the T-Mobile Arena with his title. Well, the last part materialized, but the former couldn't be further from the truth. Colby stood around for the vast majority of the fight and allowed Edwards to pick him apart on the feet. Leon was the longer man and much crisper striker. The stand-up exchanges between the two were not close. Edwards got right back to his feet after being dragged to the mat in Round 3. The only other time he was taken down was in Round 5, when the fight was long over. It remains to be seen how long Leon will be able to hold onto the title, but this is going to go down as arguably his easiest championship defense. Belal Muhammad is probably next in line for Edwards at 170 pounds. The two fought in March 2021, with the fight going to a no-contest following an accidental eye poke early in Round 2. All of the things we thought Colby would bring to the table -- pace, cardio, wrestling -- figure to be on the table once against in a Muhammad fight.
Almost everyone felt this would be a difficult title defense for Edwards. Covington would attempt to push the pace and use his wrestling game, and Leon would have to be on point in order to walk out of the T-Mobile Arena with his title. Well, the last part materialized, but the former couldn't be further from the truth. Colby stood around for the vast majority of the fight and allowed Edwards to pick him apart on the feet. Leon was the longer man and much crisper striker. The stand-up exchanges between the two were not close. Edwards got right back to his feet after being dragged to the mat in Round 3. The only other time he was taken down was in Round 5, when the fight was long over. It remains to be seen how long Leon will be able to hold onto the title, but this is going to go down as arguably his easiest championship defense. Belal Muhammad is probably next in line for Edwards at 170 pounds. The two fought in March 2021, with the fight going to a no-contest following an accidental eye poke early in Round 2. All of the things we thought Colby would bring to the table -- pace, cardio, wrestling -- figure to be on the table once against in a Muhammad fight.