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**EDIT FOR CLARITY**
(†) As pointed out, Edwards says in the interview: "I think he won three rounds, I won two rounds," but the amounts got swapped when the article was written.
~~~~
"Even though he got the win, it was still a close fight on my worst day, I think he won two rounds, I won three rounds,(†) and even on my worst day, I was still in the fight, and it was still close. It was upsetting, obviously. This is a guy that I know I can beat, right? I think nine, 10 out of 10 times, I beat this guy. I think he got the one time. It was more about just knowing I could beat this guy, knowing it was the circumstances leading up to the fight that played a massive part in the fight. So more of a frustration at the start [immediately following the event], but then after that, it was just like a, 'What's next?' — you know? Let's regroup. Let's get back to where we were and know we belong. That's all it was."
"I truly believed that Belal could never beat me, you know? I actually believe that skill for skill, I am the better athlete. Just like I said, it is what it is. A little bit [of looking past him]. I feel like the whole thing was wrong. Like I said, me probably looking past him a little bit, people in my ear saying, 'You're gonna batter him, blah, blah, blah.' That little injury, that time zone — everything was [set up] to fail, looking back at it now. In the moment, I truly believed I was going to win the fight. It is what it is. No excuses. Like I said, on my worst day, he won one round over me to get a decision, and that's it. I'm no longer focusing on that fight and I'll get it back, for sure."
"I see a finish [against Brady]. He's 5-foot-9, 5-foot-10. ... If Belal can finish you, mate, I can finish you. That's just where my head is at. I'm going in to hurt him. It's not just about Sean. It's about what I need to put right in my head and what I need to do. I just need to take him out."
~~~~
Saying the fight was close because it was 3-2 rounds is one thing. I mean, even that can be argued because the rounds weren't close and if one round would get swapped for being close, it would be one that Edwards won, but that leads way to the bigger point which is: he definitely didn't win 3.
Add on to that the list of the excuses that were: all his problem, not "set up" against him, and even some that were originally denied? Just makes this all sad.
I think I remember some fighter recently with 2 losses to someone said something like they'd win 9 out of 10 fights and got roundly mocked for their math skills, so for Leon to have fought Belal twice and come out with no wins and still flirt with 10 out of 10 is incredible
His coach sounds like he's trying to back him, but knows what the real problem was.
~~~~
"It's a bitter pill to swallow, but I take nothing from Belal. He won. He waited his time [for a title shot] like Leon did, so he made the most of it. Fair play to him, but yeah, it's a bitter pill for me to swallow for the simple fact on how Leon lost it. The lackluster effort, for whatever reason. We all know that was, what, 30, 35, 40% of Leon Edwards that night. So [it's] one of them, man."
~~~~
(full article and link spoiled below)
(†) As pointed out, Edwards says in the interview: "I think he won three rounds, I won two rounds," but the amounts got swapped when the article was written.
~~~~
"Even though he got the win, it was still a close fight on my worst day, I think he won two rounds, I won three rounds,(†) and even on my worst day, I was still in the fight, and it was still close. It was upsetting, obviously. This is a guy that I know I can beat, right? I think nine, 10 out of 10 times, I beat this guy. I think he got the one time. It was more about just knowing I could beat this guy, knowing it was the circumstances leading up to the fight that played a massive part in the fight. So more of a frustration at the start [immediately following the event], but then after that, it was just like a, 'What's next?' — you know? Let's regroup. Let's get back to where we were and know we belong. That's all it was."
"I truly believed that Belal could never beat me, you know? I actually believe that skill for skill, I am the better athlete. Just like I said, it is what it is. A little bit [of looking past him]. I feel like the whole thing was wrong. Like I said, me probably looking past him a little bit, people in my ear saying, 'You're gonna batter him, blah, blah, blah.' That little injury, that time zone — everything was [set up] to fail, looking back at it now. In the moment, I truly believed I was going to win the fight. It is what it is. No excuses. Like I said, on my worst day, he won one round over me to get a decision, and that's it. I'm no longer focusing on that fight and I'll get it back, for sure."
"I see a finish [against Brady]. He's 5-foot-9, 5-foot-10. ... If Belal can finish you, mate, I can finish you. That's just where my head is at. I'm going in to hurt him. It's not just about Sean. It's about what I need to put right in my head and what I need to do. I just need to take him out."
~~~~
Saying the fight was close because it was 3-2 rounds is one thing. I mean, even that can be argued because the rounds weren't close and if one round would get swapped for being close, it would be one that Edwards won, but that leads way to the bigger point which is: he definitely didn't win 3.
Add on to that the list of the excuses that were: all his problem, not "set up" against him, and even some that were originally denied? Just makes this all sad.
I think I remember some fighter recently with 2 losses to someone said something like they'd win 9 out of 10 fights and got roundly mocked for their math skills, so for Leon to have fought Belal twice and come out with no wins and still flirt with 10 out of 10 is incredible
His coach sounds like he's trying to back him, but knows what the real problem was.
~~~~
"It's a bitter pill to swallow, but I take nothing from Belal. He won. He waited his time [for a title shot] like Leon did, so he made the most of it. Fair play to him, but yeah, it's a bitter pill for me to swallow for the simple fact on how Leon lost it. The lackluster effort, for whatever reason. We all know that was, what, 30, 35, 40% of Leon Edwards that night. So [it's] one of them, man."
~~~~
(full article and link spoiled below)
Leon Edwards most recent fight on home soil didn't unfold as he expected.
A former UFC welterweight champion, England's Edwards dropped his belt in a decision loss to Belal Muhammad in July at UFC 306 in Manchester. The setback was Edwards' first since a 2015 decision defeat to another former rival, Kamaru Usman. Edwards now returns to his home country Saturday for his first rebound bout in a decade when he battles Sean Brady in UFC London's main event.
UFC 306 infamously took place in the early morning hours in England to accommodate the usual U.S. pay-per-view start time, which led to several English fighters — including Edwards — speaking out about its negative effects on their performances. Despite the loss to Muhammad, Edwards doesn't view his performance as an accurate indicator of who the better fighter is between the two welterweights.
"Even though he got the win, it was still a close fight on my worst day," Edwards said Monday on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show." "I think he won two rounds, I won three rounds, and even on my worst day, I was still in the fight, and it was still close.
"It was upsetting, obviously. This is a guy that I know I can beat, right? I think nine, 10 out of 10 times, I beat this guy. I think he got the one time. It was more about just knowing I could beat this guy, knowing it was the circumstances leading up to the fight that played a massive part in the fight. So more of a frustration at the start [immediately following the event], but then after that, it was just like a, 'What's next?' — you know? Let's regroup. Let's get back to where we were and know we belong. That's all it was."
Edwards also confirmed previous rumors that he went into the title fight with an injury. "Rocky" claimed it was a minor issue with his back that made training for Muhammad and the fight itself more difficult.
For Edwards' coach, Dave Lovell, all the factors in the loss made the result even more challenging.
"It's a bitter pill to swallow, but I take nothing from Belal," Lovell said on Monday's show. "He won. He waited his time [for a title shot] like Leon did, so he made the most of it. Fair play to him, but yeah, it's a bitter pill for me to swallow for the simple fact on how Leon lost it. The lackluster effort, for whatever reason.
"We all know that was, what, 30, 35, 40% of Leon Edwards that night. So [it's] one of them, man."
Eight months after that fateful morning, Muhammad remains the man with a target on his back at 170 pounds. Though he has yet to defend the title, the UFC champion has his first assignment when he looks to fend off surging Australian contender Jack Della Maddalena in May at UFC 315.
Muhammad utilized his patented and well-rounded pressure game to box Edwards into wrestling exchanges. Although Muhammad was largely in control throughout the championship rematch, he didn't leave unscathed as Edwards began to rally late, even if the Hail Mary effort was too little, too late.
Edwards believes a trilogy is within reach following a well-achievable victory over Brady at UFC London.
"I truly believed that Belal could never beat me, you know?" Edwards said. "I actually believe that skill for skill, I am the better athlete. Just like I said, it is what it is.
"A little bit [of looking past him]. I feel like the whole thing was wrong. Like I said, me probably looking past him a little bit, people in my ear saying, 'You're gonna batter him, blah, blah, blah.' That little injury, that time zone — everything was [set up] to fail, looking back at it now. In the moment, I truly believed I was going to win the fight. It is what it is. No excuses. Like I said, on my worst day, he won one round over me to get a decision, and that's it. I'm no longer focusing on that fight and I'll get it back, for sure.
"I see a finish [against Brady]," Edwards concluded. "He's 5-foot-9, 5-foot-10. ... If Belal can finish you, mate, I can finish you. That's just where my head is at. I'm going in to hurt him. It's not just about Sean. It's about what I need to put right in my head and what I need to do. I just need to take him out."
sports.yahoo.com
A former UFC welterweight champion, England's Edwards dropped his belt in a decision loss to Belal Muhammad in July at UFC 306 in Manchester. The setback was Edwards' first since a 2015 decision defeat to another former rival, Kamaru Usman. Edwards now returns to his home country Saturday for his first rebound bout in a decade when he battles Sean Brady in UFC London's main event.
UFC 306 infamously took place in the early morning hours in England to accommodate the usual U.S. pay-per-view start time, which led to several English fighters — including Edwards — speaking out about its negative effects on their performances. Despite the loss to Muhammad, Edwards doesn't view his performance as an accurate indicator of who the better fighter is between the two welterweights.
"Even though he got the win, it was still a close fight on my worst day," Edwards said Monday on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show." "I think he won two rounds, I won three rounds, and even on my worst day, I was still in the fight, and it was still close.
"It was upsetting, obviously. This is a guy that I know I can beat, right? I think nine, 10 out of 10 times, I beat this guy. I think he got the one time. It was more about just knowing I could beat this guy, knowing it was the circumstances leading up to the fight that played a massive part in the fight. So more of a frustration at the start [immediately following the event], but then after that, it was just like a, 'What's next?' — you know? Let's regroup. Let's get back to where we were and know we belong. That's all it was."
Edwards also confirmed previous rumors that he went into the title fight with an injury. "Rocky" claimed it was a minor issue with his back that made training for Muhammad and the fight itself more difficult.
For Edwards' coach, Dave Lovell, all the factors in the loss made the result even more challenging.
"It's a bitter pill to swallow, but I take nothing from Belal," Lovell said on Monday's show. "He won. He waited his time [for a title shot] like Leon did, so he made the most of it. Fair play to him, but yeah, it's a bitter pill for me to swallow for the simple fact on how Leon lost it. The lackluster effort, for whatever reason.
"We all know that was, what, 30, 35, 40% of Leon Edwards that night. So [it's] one of them, man."
https://sports.yahoo.com/mma/articl...ones-can-outclass-tom-aspinall-181702705.htmlEight months after that fateful morning, Muhammad remains the man with a target on his back at 170 pounds. Though he has yet to defend the title, the UFC champion has his first assignment when he looks to fend off surging Australian contender Jack Della Maddalena in May at UFC 315.
Muhammad utilized his patented and well-rounded pressure game to box Edwards into wrestling exchanges. Although Muhammad was largely in control throughout the championship rematch, he didn't leave unscathed as Edwards began to rally late, even if the Hail Mary effort was too little, too late.
Edwards believes a trilogy is within reach following a well-achievable victory over Brady at UFC London.
"I truly believed that Belal could never beat me, you know?" Edwards said. "I actually believe that skill for skill, I am the better athlete. Just like I said, it is what it is.
"A little bit [of looking past him]. I feel like the whole thing was wrong. Like I said, me probably looking past him a little bit, people in my ear saying, 'You're gonna batter him, blah, blah, blah.' That little injury, that time zone — everything was [set up] to fail, looking back at it now. In the moment, I truly believed I was going to win the fight. It is what it is. No excuses. Like I said, on my worst day, he won one round over me to get a decision, and that's it. I'm no longer focusing on that fight and I'll get it back, for sure.
"I see a finish [against Brady]," Edwards concluded. "He's 5-foot-9, 5-foot-10. ... If Belal can finish you, mate, I can finish you. That's just where my head is at. I'm going in to hurt him. It's not just about Sean. It's about what I need to put right in my head and what I need to do. I just need to take him out."
Leon Edwards: I beat Belal Muhammad '10 out of 10 times' despite UFC title loss
Leon Edwards is gunning for a trilogy bout with UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad with a win over Sean Brady on Saturday at UFC London.
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