Leon Edwards "doesn't have time for Mickey Mouse business" with Nate Diaz, says coach while advising the 209 native to "leave the game"
Leon Edwards' head coach, Dave Lovell, has dismissed the idea of Edwards stepping into a boxing ring to face Nate Diaz.
Diaz made his second walk to the squared circle where he faced off against Jorge Masvidal earlier this month. The pair then went the distance in a highly entertaining 10-round bout, which saw the Stockton-native clinch the win via majority decision.
The surprising moment came next, however, as following his win over 'Gamebred', Diaz put Edwards in his sights, stating that he wants to win a UFC title before calling time on his career. The 39-year-old said:
"My main objective is to be the best fighter in the world so I wanna go back and get a UFC title. Leon Edwards, Jake Paul...You're dead."
Watch the clip here:
Leon Edwards and Nate Diaz have previously faced-off in the octagon, going head-to-head at UFC 263. 'Rocky' then took home the unanimous decision win after a dominant performance.
As of now, Edwards is currently preparing to defend his welterweight title against Belal Muhammad at UFC 304 next weekend. Whilst the British champ has been farily vocal about already looking for an opponent after Muhammad, his coach, Lovell, can confidently rule out Diaz.
Speaking in a recent interview with Submission Radio, Lovell responded to Diaz' call out and said:
"It's all a joke. Leon ain't got time for that Micky Mouse business right now, bruv. Nate is making money still and fighting, but me personally I think he needs to leave the game alone. He's taken a little bit too much punishment now...This guy's got a life after fighting."
Catch Lovell's comments here (10:03):
Alexander Volkanovski predicts Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad
Former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has offered his breakdown on the upcoming UFC 304 main event bout between Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad.
'Rocky' and 'Remember the Name' are set to run back their 2021 bout, which was cut short in the second round after Edwards accidentally caught Muhammad with an eye-poke, rendering him unable to continue.
Volkanovski then offered his thoughts on the fight on his YouTube channel, where he stated that he expects Edwards to get the job done, providing he fights like he did in their first bout, before the eye-poke. He said:
"I thought [Edwards] was quite aggressive in their first fight, and I think we're going to see that again. I feel like Leon Edwards is gonna feel like he can be a bit more aggressive with someone like Belal... I think he's gonna let his hands go, which is gonna make him a lot more dangerous. "
Catch Volkanovski's comments here (11:10):