Leon Edwards must choose next opponent wisely
Leon Edwards faces a critical moment in his UFC career after suffering two consecutive losses. This past Saturday, he lost to Sean Brady in the main event at UFC London, marking his first stoppage loss ever. Edwards had hoped to recover from a previous defeat by Belal Muhammad but ended up disappointing his fans. The defeat puts Edwards in a challenging position. Many former champions have struggled after losing their titles, like Anderson Silva and Chuck Liddell. Silva, despite being one of the greatest, lost six straight fights after his title reign. Liddell also had a rough time, losing four of his next five fights after losing his title. Edwards, now 33, must choose his next opponent carefully to avoid a similar decline. He has two strong options. The first is Jorge Masvidal, with whom Edwards has a bitter rivalry dating back to a backstage altercation in 2019. The two have never fought in the Octagon, making this a compelling matchup. The second option is Ian Machado Garry. Edwards and Garry have also developed a rivalry after a tense incident at Edwards' gym. Garry is eager to bounce back after a recent loss and a fight between them would fuel both fighters' chances to return to title contention. Tim Simpson, Edwards' manager, must advocate for one of these matchups to reignite Edwards' career and keep him competitive in the welterweight division.