Leon Edwards suffered back injury ahead of UFC 304: ‘I’m not making excuses’

Dropping his undisputed welterweight championship at UFC 304 over the course of last weekend, Leon Edwards’ head coach, Dave Lovell has revealed his student was dealing with “niggling” injuries including an issue with his back, leading him to struggle with the wrestling offense of Belal Muhammad.

Edwards, who headlined last weekend’s pay-per-view return to Manchester at UFC 304, dropped his undisputed welterweight crown in a one-sided unanimous decision loss to two-time foe, Belal Muhammad – over the course of five rounds.

Seeing his title run come to an abrupt stop following consecutive title defense wins over former champions, Kamaru Usman, and Colby Covington, Edwards confirmed plans to fight once more this year – amid links to a showdown with unbeaten Irish star, Ian Garry next.

Leon Edwards dealt with “niggling” back injury pre-UFC 304

Sharing his thoughts on his student’s performance against Muhammad in the pair’s re-run, the previously mentioned, Lovell revealed Edwards was struggling with a “niggle” in the form of a back injury ahead of UFC 304.

“I’m not making any kind of excuses for him (Leon Edwards), but we had a few niggles in camp,” Dave Lovell told Submission Radio. “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 (Muhammad) performance, you know. He did well, he done well. The best man won on the night, but Leon will be back.”

“Well, believe it not, we had a powwow about it, and I was very dubious because there niggles was going on for about maybe, five or so weeks on and off,” Lovell explained. “He had to go to a chiropractor, regular massages. But again, after one session it was back to Square 1.”

What do you think is next for Leon Edwards after UFC 304?