Leon Edwards urged to make drastic and emotional change to regain welterweight title by UK UFC legend
LEON EDWARDS has been advised he may need to make an emotional decision if he’s to regain the welterweight throne.
The Brummie’s reign as 170lbs title champion came to a gruelling end at the hands of Belal Muhammad at UFC 304 last July.
And his hopes of reclaiming the belt suffered a body blow last month when he was submitted by Sean Brady in the main event of UFC London.
Edwards‘ road back to title contention is now a ‘Rocky’ one, and one Brit UFC icon Brad Pickett believes he may need to embark on from a new gym.
In an exclusive interview, the NetBet UFC Betting ambassador Pickett told SunSport: “He’s in a tricky spot.
“I think he needs to find or do something to re-motivate himself.
“A lot of people are not gonna agree with me when I say it, but I think , maybe, [he] should go somewhere else to train.
“Not because Renegade is a bad place to train. It’s a fantastic gym, I’ve been there myself.
“But [he maybe should go elsewhere] just to change the scenery, you know, even take some of your coaches.”
Pickett reckons a change of scenery will relight a fire under the Jamaican-born Brit.
He continued: “Get away from your day-to-day distractions and go somewhere else.
“Get that hunger back. Because when you’re young and you go to a new gym, people are hungry.
“I was like, ‘Who am I gonna fight?’ I think he needs to get that kind of [mentality] again.
“Differently than in your same gym, same environment and bringing fighters in to fight you.
“Have that hunger and go somewhere else where you know people are out there to get you. Just change the scenery.
“I think that would do him a lot of good.”
Edwards, 33, was radio silent in the aftermath of his defeat to Brady, who dominated him before getting a fourth-round submission with a guillotine choke.
But he broke his silence last week, defiantly writing on Instgram: “Still HIM.”