Belal Muhammad loss a "bitter pill to swallow" for former welterweight champion and his coach: "There was 30-40% of Leon Edwards that night"

Leon Edwards' coach recently opened up about his team's frustration following the defeat to Belal Muhammad. 'Rocky' was dethroned as the welterweight champion after suffering a unanimous decision loss to Muhammad at UFC 304 in July 2024.

Edwards was overwhelmed in both the striking and grappling exchanges, as 'Remember the Name' outclassed him throughout the fight. He was consistently outstruck and struggled to defend against takedowns. The 33-year-old Jamaican-born Brit has consistently blamed the loss on the bout’s unusual start time of around 5 a.m., claiming it significantly affected his performance.

Check out Leon Edwards' comments below:

During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Edwards' coach, Dave Lovell, weighed in on his fighter’s performance at UFC 304 and admitted that the setback was a harsh setback that shook both him and his team:

"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 of how Leon lost it. The lackluster effort, for whatever reason. We all know that was, what, 30-40% of Leon Edwards that night. So [it’s] one of them, man."

Check out Dave Lovell's comments below:

'Rocky' is set to make his return following the defeat, stepping into the headlining bout of UFC London this weekend at The O2 Arena in the United Kingdom to take on Sean Brady.

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When Dave Lovell claimed Leon Edwards came close to pulling out of UFC 304 because of injury

During an interview with Submission Radio in July 2024, Dave Lovell disclosed that Leon Edwards battled injuries for weeks in the lead-up to his title defense against Belal Muhammad at UFC 304:

"I'm not making any kind of excuses for him, but we had a few niggles in camp. 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."

Lovell further revealed that despite undergoing chiropractic adjustments, Edwards had not fully recovered. While the team urged him to withdraw from the bout, it was 'Rocky' who insisted on going through with the fight:

"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... 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."

Check out Dave Lovell's comments below (1:52):