UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping has suggested a potential opponent for Leon Edwards following the former champion’s defeat at UFC London.
Leon Edwards, the former UFC welterweight champion, faced further challenges against strong grapplers in London. Edwards has now experienced consecutive losses for the first time in his career, after being submitted by Sean Brady in the main event of UFC London.
Edwards entered UFC London aiming to secure a rematch with Belal Muhammad after losing his title at UFC 304 last July. Muhammad is scheduled to fight Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315, and Sean Brady has emerged as a significant contender for the winner after his recent victory.
To re-enter the welterweight title picture, Edwards will likely need to secure at least two victories. Fortunately, the welterweight division offers a variety of interesting and prominent fighters for Edwards to face.
Michael Bisping, drawing from his own experience of overcoming setbacks on his path to the UFC middleweight championship, believes Edwards needs to refocus after UFC London. Bisping feels a matchup against a rising welterweight star would be ideal for Edwards` next fight.
In a recent social media post, Bisping proposed a notable name for Edwards’s next UFC bout.
“I’d like to see him fight a striker so he can have an exciting fight,” Bisping commented on Edwards. “Ian Garry makes a lot of sense in my opinion.”
Ian Machado Garry recently suffered his first professional defeat against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 in December. Garry has expressed frustration with the UFC`s welterweight title fight booking and believes he should have been chosen to face Muhammad, despite his recent loss.
Garry and Edwards were previously teammates before a contentious split between Garry and their gym. Leading up to UFC London, Garry stated that he deserved to be ranked higher than Edwards, even after his recent loss.
As Edwards considers his next steps, he is still facing criticism from Brady following UFC London. Brady mocked Edwards’s “headshot dead” phrase in a post-fight social media message and accused Edwards and his team of unsportsmanlike behavior in a recent interview.
Brady felt underestimated by Edwards, fans, and experts before UFC London. However, after his career-defining performance, Brady is now close to a title shot, depending on Shavkat Rakhmonov`s return from injury.
Meanwhile, Edwards has not yet publicly commented since UFC London and will aim to return to winning form later in the year. According to Bisping, a victory over a top contender like Garry would be sufficient to put him back into welterweight title contention.
