“What time is it in London? Asking for Leon,” Belal Muhammad quipped on X while Leon Edwards was getting rag-dolled by Sean Brady in their UFC London clash on Saturday. This was followed by another schadenfreude-laden X post where the welterweight champ quipped “Leon’s still on 5 a.m. time zone.” It is safe to say that ‘Bully B’ had the time of his life and lived up to his moniker while waiting for a potential future opponent.
For the uninitiated, he was talking about Edwards’ excuse after losing the belt to him in a one-sided domination in their UFC 304 clash last year in Manchester, England. After this disastrous loss, ‘Team Edwards’ would blame the 5 am fight time for Edwards being slow, with coach Dave Lovell claiming he only saw “thirty to forty percent” of Edwards in Manchester. This is why the bombastic Muhammad couldn’t help but take shots at Edwards being clobbered by Brady en route to a submission loss, which was the first in the Birmingham fighter’s entire MMA career.
And Muhammad has an unlikely ally in Edwards’ fellow English compatriot and former champion, Michael Bisping, who was asked what he thought of the former champ’s timing excuse for the loss against Muhammad.
“It [the odd timings of UK cards] didn’t really bother me to be honest. I would love to say differently I’m not trying to disagree with Leon. Only Leon knows what was going on with his body and in his mind. I don’t think it really affects the fighters as much as what they think it does. Obviously, Leon lost the fight. So he’s gonna look for a reason. And I think he’s latching on to that, not as an excuse. I’m not saying he is making excuses. But he’s like ‘it was the middle of the night and I felt off,’” Bisping told former heavyweight Stefan Struve in an interview with ‘UFC on Eurosport’.
“You know what it’s like Stefan. Some fights you do feel off, some fights you do feel sluggish. Some fights you’re just not your best, you know. And I think he puts it all together maybe he’s blaming that… It doesn’t matter what time of day it is because the adrenaline kicks in. However, I understand why Leon feels this way– because he lost. I think it was just because sometimes you have an off night, you know. And that is an obvious thing to point at and blame,” he added.
MMA: UFC 296 – Edwards vs Covington Dec 16, 2023, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Leon Edwards red gloves fights Colby Covington blue gloves during UFC 296 at T-Mobile Arena. Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena Nevada USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xStephenxR.xSylvaniex 20231216_jhp_cs1_0430
In fact, the UFC commentator revealed his own experiences of fighting at a similarly odd time in Manchester. The former 185lbs champ pointed out how the electric crowd and the two months of preparation for the fight were enough to get him hyped and ready to go. But one of Edwards’ cornermen does have a pretty comprehensive theory behind the former champ’s underperformance in his last couple of fights.
Sean Brady’s cornerman savages Leon Edwards after horrific UFC London loss
Leon Edwards or his team have not actually said anything about the Brady loss yet. Well, with one notable exception. UFC analyst and coach, Din Thomas, who was in Brady’s corner at UFC London. Still, it is positively shocking to hear Thomas make the worst accusation against a fighter. But what was it?
“I don’t want to be disrespectful toward Leon. I still believe that skill for skill, like his body type and all that, that he was a great champion. He’s a great fighter. He’s still top-five material. But I just don’t think that Leon, in his heart, is a real, true fighter,” Thomas told UFC vet Anthony Smith.
Pointing to guys like Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje, who would “fight you in a parking lot.” Thomas felt that ‘Rocky’ just didn’t have the heart and sheer guts that these guys said. But could a guy who is not a ‘true fighter’ really go undefeated for nearly ten years and win a UFC title? Well, the coach certainly feels Edwards did, mostly because of his natural athletic gifts.
“I think he’s an athlete. I think he’s a performer. I think he’s creative. I think in the gym, he probably eats up everybody. He’s super magical. I just think when the lights come on and it’s time for him to really fight, despite not being a true fighter, he was still that good,” Thomas added morosely. What do you think about Michael Bisping’s thoughts on Leon Edwards’ ‘timing’ excuse?
The post “I Don’t Think It Really Affects the Fighters” – Michael Bisping Defies Leon Edwards Over ‘Excuses’ After Being Outclassed at UFC London Fight appeared first on EssentiallySports.
