Leon Edwards issues first response to brutal knockout loss at UFC 322

Leon Edwards is not thinking about the past after suffering the first knockout of his career at UFC 322.

Edwards, 34, lost his third consecutive bout in Dana White‘s promotion at UFC 322 last month.

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The former UFC welterweight champion was knocked out by Carlos Prates on the Madison Square Garden card.

Questions have since been raised by some fans over whether ‘Rocky’ will ever get back to his best.

Edwards shocked the world when he won his first UFC title by head-kicking Kamaru Usman out cold in August 2022.

However, the Birmingham native has been way off it in his past three bouts.

He offered no real challenge upon dropping the title to Belal Muhammad in Manchester last year, and was largely helpless when he tasted his first-ever submission defeat against Sean Brady in the main event of UFC London.

Edwards looked sharp in the opening round of his fight with Prates, but hit the canvas for the first time in his career after the Brazilian caught up with a deadly left hand.

He didn’t conduct any post-fight interviews after the loss and has remained silent until now.

“Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift,” Edwards wrote via X on Thursday.

What is next for Leon Edwards?

Although Edwards is on a three-fight losing skid, it seems like the ex-champion still wants to compete at the highest level.

Islam Makhachev is the current champion of his welterweight division and many fans believe the Russian is a class above Edwards.

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Edwards has struggled against wrestling-based fighters in the past year and couldn’t match the standup skills of Prates in his last fight.

If he wishes to pursue a quick turnaround, the 34-year-old could find himself in the octagon with a lower-ranked opponent, like Joaquin Buckley, Gabriel Bonfim or Gilbert Burns.

Alternatively, Edwards may want to get his hands on Colby Covington, whom he defeated in a title bout in December 2023, for the second time.

Although some MMA fans are optimistic about Edwards regrouping and finding his feet once again in the UFC, others believe ‘Rocky’ should walk away from the sport once and for all.

Speaking to talkSPORT in June, No. 2-ranked UFC welterweight Ian Machado Garry even urged Edwards to retire.

When Ian Machado Garry told Edwards to retire

“If I was Leon, I’d be retiring,” Garry, who called for a title shot after outpointing Belal Muhammad at UFC Qatar, said of his former teammate-turned rival.

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“He clearly doesn’t have the love for it anymore, and clearly doesn’t have the talent for it against the best young talent in the division.

“[I would tell him to] just kick it in, say you’re a world champion, go off onto the streets of Birmingham and tell the people the story of what was not what is.”

Garry defeated Prates before he overcame Muhammad in late November and wants a shot at UFC welterweight champion Makhachev next.

However, reports have suggested that the UFC brass are lining up a fight between Makhachev and Usman.

Usman scored a unanimous decision win over Buckley in his last fight after a three-year layoff.

‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ lost two title bouts to Edwards between 2022 and 2023 before putting on a solid display in a defeat to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294.