Former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen recently offered his take on Leon Edwards' comments, explaining why he got rocked by Nate Diaz at UFC 263. He questioned the narrative that Edwards was trying to sell.
Edwards and Diaz locked horns with each other back in June 2021 at UFC 263. The English southpaw won the fight by way of unanimous decision.
In a recent edition of the Blockparty podcast, Edwards admitted that he got complacent towards the end of his clash against Diaz because he was bored of dominating him throughout the fight.
According to 'Rocky', he experienced a momentary lapse of focus and judgment due to boredom and was struck with a staggering shot, flush to the chin.
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Chael Sonnen, however, was not impressed with Edwards' take on the situation. He wondered why the Englishman refused to offer Nate Diaz any credit for a shot well struck:
"He said, 'I got so bored of beating him up that I lost my focus and took that punch.'... Why would you claim it didn't hurt? Why would you claim you lost your focus? Like, what story is it that you're attempting to retell? Why can you not give your opponent credit?"
Check out Chael Sonnen's take on the Edwards vs. Diaz clash below:
Leon Edwards never wanted to leave the UFC over a lack of title opportunities
While in conversation with Adam Catterall and Nick Peet on the latest edition of the Blockparty podcast, Leon Edwards revealed that he never considered parting ways with the UFC even though he was repeatedly overlooked for a shot at the welterweight strap.
'Rocky' first made his way into the UFC way back in 2014 and is currently unbeaten in his last 10 fights. However, the Englishman never once competed for divisional gold during his stint in the promotion.
Leon Edwards admitted that although the option of parting ways with the promotion was frequently proposed to him, he never once considered taking it up. Here's what he had to say about the same:
"I don't think so. It was mentioned from other people, but I never thought I wanted to like, up and leave, you know? Obviously it's a s**t situation at the moment, but I wanted to be a world champion, UFC world champion. That's what I had to be when I first got into MMA, I was to be the UFC world champion and I've worked my a** off to get to this point. So now, let me just fight for this belt and win this belt and we'll go on from there."
Check out Leon Edwards' full interaction with Adam Catterall and Nick Peet below:
Leon Edwards has finally received an opportunity to stake his claim for the welterweight strap as he is currently hurtling towards a fight against Kamaru Usman.
The duo is set to lock horns at UFC 278 on August 20 at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah.