UFC welterweight contender Joaquin Buckley has strongly criticized Leon Edwards’s team following Edwards` defeat at UFC London.
Former UFC champion Leon Edwards experienced his first consecutive losses after UFC London. Despite a promising start against Sean Brady, Edwards was controlled on the ground in the fourth round, leading to a guillotine choke submission victory for Brady.
This marks another setback for Edwards after his loss to Belal Muhammad at UFC 304 in July. Prior to these defeats, he had successfully defended his welterweight title against Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington.
Edwards’s corner, particularly his long-time coach Dave Lovell, played a significant role in his journey to the UFC welterweight title. However, after these recent losses, Buckley believes Edwards’s corner was detrimental to him at UFC London.
Joaquin Buckley `trashes` Leon Edwards’s corner after UFC London
Lovell is known for his intense motivation of Edwards, famously seen before the fifth round of Edwards`s knockout victory over Usman at UFC 278. Edwards was losing on the scorecards going into the final round, but with just under a minute remaining, he landed a head kick knockout to win the UFC welterweight championship.
A potentially discouraged Edwards entering the fifth round against Usman may not have been able to recover without his corner`s encouragement. However, watching Edwards`s recent defeat at UFC London, Joaquin Buckley believes that too many voices in his corner overwhelmed Edwards, preventing him from receiving the necessary clear advice.
In a recent social media post, Buckley criticized Edwards’s corner after UFC London.
“Leon`s corner is trash, too many people talking and not saying anything important,” Buckley stated.
Buckley, a rising welterweight contender, is a potential opponent for Brady following UFC London. Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena are scheduled to compete for the title at UFC 315 in May.
Regarding Edwards`s next steps after UFC London, Michael Bisping has suggested an interesting possibility: a fight against Ian Machado Garry. Edwards and Garry were once teammates, and with Garry currently without a scheduled fight, this matchup could be a logical step for Edwards to return to title contention.
Garry has not fought since his defeat to Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 in December. Before that loss, he maintained an undefeated professional record, including recent victories over Michael ‘Venom’ Page and Geoff Neal.
The rivalry between Edwards and Brady has continued after UFC London, with Brady consistently mocking Edwards on social media, including mimicking Edwards’s “headshot dead” phrase.
Edwards`s loss was not the only notable event at UFC London. Molly McCann announced her retirement after losing to Alexia Thainara, which deeply saddened her teammate Paddy Pimblett.
Edwards now faces several important decisions after another disappointing performance in the Octagon, including the possibility of changes to his corner team.
