What happens when a former champ suffers back-to-back losses? Is it just that his opponents are that good? Or is it something deeper? Like the cracks in his own game widening under pressure? Or, as Belal Muhammad oh-so-bluntly put it, is it the ghosts of his past losses haunting him? “Leon’s weak mentally, and he’ll have flashbacks from what I did to him,” Belal had warned before the Sean Brady fight. And boy, did that prediction age well. When the cage doors shut, it wasn’t the same Leon Edwards that knocked Kamaru Usman’s head into orbit. But it was a hesitant, second-guessing version of him. And in the crowd, watching it all unfold with a mix of frustration and disbelief, was his mate, Tom Aspinall.
And as the hometown crowd gasped, Aspinall couldn’t hold back. “He’s on his back again. Half guard again. This is Sean Brady’s bread and butter, man. This is Sean Brady 101. Bad, really bad for Leon,” he said, shaking his head as Brady did what Brady does best. “Oh, he’s getting hit though. He’s worried about the takedowns. He’s getting hit.” And just like that, history repeated itself. A tight guillotine, a tap, and silence. The Philly native had just smashed the UFC record for the most control time in a single round, surpassing even Khamzat Chimaev’s dominant first round against John Phillips.
“Damn! Wow, domination from Sean Brady. Gutted for Leon. Gutted for him,” Aspinall admitted, his voice carrying the same disappointment as the crowd. And then came the real gut punch: “Very similar to the Belal fight.”
And there it was, the uncomfortable truth. This wasn’t just about Sean Brady putting on a grappling clinic. This was about what ‘Rocky’ couldn’t do. A loss to Belal Muhammad at UFC 304 had already cracked his confidence, and Brady had just driven a wrecking ball through it. Even Edwards himself had admitted how much Belal’s win over him stung. “Every time I see him on Twitter, for f— sake,” he told Ariel Helwani. “Oh mate, I wish that guy f—— retired. He doesn’t look right with the belt, you know.” But do we remember the night it all took place? A night of two rematches, but only one happy ending.
Was Tom Aspinall watching history repeat for his fellow Brit?
Let’s zoom out for a second. UFC 304 was supposed to be a celebration of British MMA. Leon Edwards and Tom Aspinall, two champions (yes, we’re counting the interim belt for the feels), two crowd favorites. So basically, two men carrying the hopes of an entire nation. Both were facing rematches. The only difference? Aspinall walked away with gold. And ‘Rocky’ walked away empty-handed.
So, Aspinall’s victory over Curtis Blaydes was redemption. Two years after suffering a freak injury against him, he returned and put on the best performance of his career. But Edwards, on the other hand, had to relive his worst nightmare. Belal Muhammad, the man whose 2021 fight with him had ended in an accidental eye poke, was now beating him fair and square. Five rounds of relentless pressure and a new champion was crowned. Hence, the contrast couldn’t have been clearer. Aspinall’s career is on a rocket ship to the top, with Dana White all but confirming he’s next in line for Jon Jones or Stipe Miocic. Edwards, once seen as a potential welterweight kingpin, is suddenly a man fighting for relevance.
But that’s the brutal beauty of MMA. One moment, you’re the king of the division. And the next, you’re the subject of endless debates and doubts. But Edwards still has a shot at redemption. But only if he wants it bad enough. And if he’s looking for inspiration, he doesn’t have to look far. His mate Tom Aspinall is just around the corner.
The loss will likely see Edwards drop further down the rankings from his #1 spot. He has other names like Jack Della Maddalena, Shavkat Rakhmonov, and Sean Brady ahead of him in the title race now. Leon’s next course of action hinges on the outcome of Muhammad vs. JDM at UFC 315. He could end up fight the loser of that matchup. Why? Because Shavkat can sit out and wait his turn for a title shot, so can Sean Brady. Edwards will have to fight Kamaru Usman a fourth time or wait to fight the loser of UFC 315 – a rematch against Muhammad or a fresh matchup against the more stylistically favorable Della Maddalena.
So, what do you think? Does Leon have it in him to turn things around? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!
The post Tom Aspinall Forced to Swallow Tough Pill After Leon Edwards Defeat at UFC London appeared first on EssentiallySports.
