Leon Edwards’ Coach Claims He Went into UFC 304 Title Fight with a Back Injury, Calls for a Clash with Ian Machado Garry

Coach Dave Lovell revealed that 'Rocky' was suffering from a nagging injury during the final five weeks of his fight camp, but refused to withdraw

Leon Edwards Injured Before Ufc 304
Courtesy of @UFCNews on X

Leon Edwards didn’t look anything like the fighter who dismantled Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington.

Now we know why. 

Stepping into the main event spotlight at UFC 304 in Manchester to defend his welterweight title against top-ranked contender Belal Muhammad, ‘Rocky’ was a sizeable 3-to-1 favorite to come out on top. Unfortunately, it became quickly clear that Edwards wasn’t up to the task and ultimately surrendered the 170-pound strap via a decisive unanimous decision in favor of his opponent. 

As it turns out, Edwards’ uninspired showing may have been the result of a lingering injury he had been dealing with during the final weeks of his fight camp. 

“I’m not making any kind of excuses for him, but we had a few niggles in camp,” Edwards’ coach Dave Lovell told Submission Radio. “His back was niggling him so he couldn’t wrestle the way he really needed to offensively and defensively, you know, because of the niggle that recurred about maybe 2 or 3 times.

“Not taking nothing away from Belal’s performance, you know he did well, he done well. The best man won on the night. But Leon will be back.”

Lovell also revealed that Edwards had considered backing out of the bout altogether, but decided to push through after taking his already lengthy layoff into consideration.

“Well, believe it or not, we had a powwow about it, and I was very dubious because these niggles was going on for about maybe five, five or so weeks on and off. He had to go to a chiropractor, regular massages,” Lovell added. “But again, after one session it was back to square one. ”

In the back part of my mind, you know, I was thinking, ‘Well, should we go for this?’ But because he hadn’t fought for so long Leon said he wanted it. So we just pushed forward with the injury, train through the injury, and try to, you know, get through and get a victory. Unfortunately, it never happened.”

Dave Lovell Believes Now is the Time for Leon Edwards vs. Ian Machado Garry

As for what comes next, Lovell believes now may be the perfect time for ‘Rocky’ to settle some business with rising welterweight contender Ian Machado Garry

“I would like to see Leon fight Ian Garry,” Lovell said. “We can keep it British-based, either in Ireland or here. Given their past, it’s a compelling matchup. Garry may see Leon as a significant win to boost his title aspirations. For Leon, a victory over Garry could propel him back into title contention.”

He continued, “Leon would, I believe, beat him simply due to his fight experience. Garry has skills, but we’ve seen his vulnerabilities. At our gym, he faced tough challenges and learned the hard way. Ian Garry is a name that could help Leon get back on track.”

Last year, tensions began to rise between ‘Rocky’ and ‘The Future’ after Garry claimed that Edwards had him kicked out of the ex-champ’s gym, Team Renegade, in Birmingham, England. Initially, Garry suggested that it was because Edwards didn’t like having another potential title contender training alongside him. 

However, Edwards and his team disputed that statement, claiming that Garry simply wasn’t contributing to the culture.

Lightweight fan favorite Paddy Pimblett also added some fuel to the fire when he revealed that Edwards had KO’d Garry during a training session. ‘The Future’ seemingly confirmed the story on social media, writing:

“Anyone watch the Leon Edwards [vs. Kamaru] Usman fight? Anyone know how that went? One of the best head kicks in the UFC — Yeah, I might have felt what that kick felt like…”

Watch the full interview below:

Published on July 30, 2024 at 6:36 pm
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