Leon Edwards’s coach reveals he entered UFC 304 with a significant back injury: “He couldn’t wrestle”

Former UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards wasn’t at his physical best entering the fight with Belal Muhammad at UFC 304.

Edwards lost the UFC welterweight title to Muhammad in the UFC 304 main event on Saturday in Manchester. It was the first fight he’s lost since a 2015 defeat to Kamaru Usman.

Muhammad capped off a long unbeaten streak in the UFC welterweight division with an impressive title win against Edwards. He utilized his grappling and timely striking to stifle and frustrate Edwards throughout the five-round matchup.

A surprising element of the fight was the setbacks Edwards appeared to suffer in his ground game. Muhammad seemed able to take Edwards down at will and control most ground exchanges.

According to Edwards’s coach, the now-former titleholder entered UFC 304 with a limited camp due to injury.

Coach Dave Lovell: Leon Edwards couldn’t wrestle due to back injuries

In a recent interview with Submission Radio, head coach Dave Lovell revealed Edwards entered UFC 304 with significant back issues.

“I’m not making any kind of excuses for him, but we had a few niggles in camp,” Lovell said of Edwards. “His back was niggling him, so he couldn’t wrestle the way he really needed to offensively and defensively because of the niggle that recurred about maybe two, three times. Well, 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.” (h/t MMA Junkie)

Edwards plans on returning by year’s end against another top contender in the welterweight division. Ian Machado Garry and Shavkat Rakhmonov are potential opponents for his return to the cage.

Edwards earned the title by head-kick knockout at UFC 278 over Usman, before outpointing Usman in their UFC 286 rematch. Before UFC 304, he defeated Colby Covington by unanimous decision in December.

A trilogy between Edwards and Muhammad is possible for a future booking. But for now, Edwards will look to heal up and focus on his comeback.