Leon Edwards’ coach was seemingly far from pleased to see his man attempting to defend the UFC welterweight title at 5:30 AM this past weekend.
Edwards put his gold on the line on home soil for the second consecutive year, making the walk in Manchester, England, 16 months on from his first successful defense at the expense of Kamaru Usman in London.
After adding Colby Covington’s name to his résumé last December, “Rocky” returned to the cage in the UK to headline UFC 304. But unlike his last outing at The O2, the Jamaican-born Brit’s third defense didn’t come in local time.
Edwards competed at gone 5 AM in the morning as the promotion staged its Manchester return at the Co-op Live with the usual American timings. The champ was ultimately dethroned, with Belal Muhammad putting on a largely dominant display to capture the belt.
Talk of the US timings remained prominent throughout the event and in the aftermath, and Edwards suggested that he had struggled to adapt. His coach was also among those frustrated with the unnecessary demands placed on home fighters such as the now-former welterweight kingpin…
Edwards’ Coach On UFC 304 Timing: ‘Belal Never Had To Adjust!’
During a recent appearance on Submission Radio, Lovell reflected on his man’s defeat in Manchester, which marked Edwards’ first setback inside the cage since a decision loss to Kamaru Usman way back in 2015.
When asked whether the UFC 304 timings played a part, Lovell let his feelings known on the decision not to accommodate for European fans and the local fighters.
“You tell me (how much of an impact it had). Whichever fighter have you seen in his home country come out at half past 5, 5 AM in the morning, to fight?” Lovell said. “Realistically, it’s a joke really.
“Belal never really had to adjust because his clock is set to the times of what we were fighting to. But Leon, in his home country, had to adapt as if he was acclimatizing, as if he was fighting in another country and fighting at 5:30 in the morning,” Lovell continued. “It just doesn’t seem right somehow.”
Edwards and his team will now look forward to his pursuit of two-time status. With an immediate trilogy fight opposite new champ Muhammad appearing off the table, coach Lovell named Ian Garry as his preferred next opponent for “Rocky.”
“Remember the Name,” meanwhile, will be focused one establishing his reign and legacy at 170 pounds. In the eyes of man, that should begin with a first defense against the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov.
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