Mar 22, 2025; London, England, United Kingdom; Leon Edwards (red gloves) fights against Sean Brady (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena. Mandatory Credit: Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images
Losing hurts worse when you are the champion. Leon Edwards knows that pain all too well after dropping his welterweight title to Belal Muhammad. Edwards had gone from nearly getting cut to knocking out Kamaru Usman with a head kick and defending the belt twice. But Muhammad exposed his weaknesses with relentless wrestling and pressure that ‘Rocky’ couldn’t answer. Things got even worse when Edwards returned to London and suffered a lopsided submission loss to Sean Brady. Now he’s on the first two-fight losing streak of his professional career and facing serious questions about his future.
But Leon Edwards isn’t ready to fade away quietly. The former champion returns at UFC 322 on November 15 at Madison Square Garden against Carlos Prates. Speaking with the UFC, Leon Edwards plots his road back to welterweight gold with a 3-step blueprint that he believes will have him fighting for the title again by summer 2026. It’s ambitious given his recent struggles, but Edwards sounds revitalized and confident heading into this crucial bounce-back fight.
Step One: Destroy Carlos Prates At Madison Square Garden
Leon Edwards sees the Prates fight as the perfect opportunity to remind everyone of his elite striking skills. He’s clearly relieved to face someone who wants to stand and trade rather than wrestle him into submission. Prates is a dangerous finisher with knockout power, but Edwards believes his technical striking will be the difference. The former champion knows he needs to make a statement at MSG. Not just win, but win impressively.
“After MSG, I put on the best performance of my life; that sets me up for one more fight in March or April.”
He’s targeting a dominant performance that reminds fans why he was champion in the first place. Anything less than a finish or completely one-sided decision won’t generate the momentum he needs for his comeback plan.
Step Two: Fight Ian Garry Next And Finish Him
Leon Edwards (22-5-0-1 NC) has his next opponent picked out already. The Ian Garry callout makes perfect sense from multiple angles. Garry is a rising welterweight contender with massive hype behind him. Beating him would be a significant scalp on Edwards’ resume and prove ‘Rocky’ can still hang with the division’s best.
“Then I fight for the title in the summer. That’s what I’m envisioning. I go out there, take him out, and I’d like to get Ian next and put him away.”
There’s just one problem with this plan. Ian Garry has openly stated he would never fight Leon Edwards. That complicates things significantly for Edwards’ blueprint.
If Garry refuses the fight, Edwards will need to pivot to another top contender quickly. The division is wide open right now with Jack Della Maddalena defending against Islam Makhachev at UFC 322, leaving opportunities for contenders to position themselves.
Step Three: Title Fight By Summer 2026
Edwards’ ultimate goal is fighting for the welterweight championship by summer 2026. That timeline requires everything going perfectly: winning impressively twice against top competition while the title picture sorts itself out. It took nine straight wins for Edwards to earn his first title shot, but as a former champion, he might not need such an extensive run this time.
Edwards insists he feels revitalized after those crushing losses. November 15 will show whether Leon Edwards can actually execute step one of his ambitious comeback plan against a dangerous striker.
(Image Credit: Peter van den Berg – Imagn Images)
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I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!
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