"They just wanna get their paycheck" - Teddy Atlas believes Leon Edwards' coach Dave Lovell deserves a bonus for shaking up his fighter unlike "jacka**" coaches
Teddy Atlas has suggested that Leon Edwards’ coach Dave Lovell deserves a bonus for going all out in motivating his fighter at UFC 278. The all-important UFC welterweight title showdown at UFC 278 witnessed Edwards secure an epic comeback victory.
‘Rocky’ spectacularly beat pound-for-pound great Kamaru Usman via a fifth-round headkick knockout despite trailing 3-1 on the judges’ scorecards. Many believe that Lovell’s fiery motivational instructions to Edwards in-between rounds prevented him from giving up in the grueling fight.
Dave Lovell…perhaps I should call you before my next workout you f*cking legend!
Courtesy of @SeeUSoonBoyy, here is some of Leon Edwards’ corner advice before the headkick KO w/ Rocky music edit:
https://t.co/2mMVOxPjXS
@Leon_edwardsmma
In the latest edition of The Fight with Teddy Atlas, world-renowned boxing trainer and combat sports analyst Teddy Atlas lauded Dave Lovell for preventing Leon Edwards from getting mentally deflated at UFC 278. Further jibing at certain coaches who simply corner their fighters for a paycheck rather than genuinely guiding them, Atlas stated:
“He [Dave Lovell] shook, he woke and shook up this guy. He was honest with him. He wasn’t one of these jacka**es that I see in boxing, I see in the corners all the time, sometimes even in MMA. They just wanna howl for their meals. They just wanna be buddy treatment with the guy. They just wanna be friends with the guy. They just don’t want the guy to get mad at them. They just don’t wanna get fired. They just wanna get their paycheck. And they’re just, ‘Oh, you’re winning every round.’ What?”
Watch Atlas discuss the topic at 1:27:35 in the video below:
Josh Thomson on the “MVP” of the Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman fight
Kamaru Usman defeated Leon Edwards via unanimous decision in 2015, whereas their rematch saw Edwards win via fifth-round KO. Presently, the consensus is that Edwards could defend his title in a trilogy showdown against Usman next. Nevertheless, the UFC hasn’t officially announced the same yet.
#UFC278 Corner CamSome coaches are cool and calm, some offer detailed technical advice...
@Leon_edwardsmma needed a kick in the backside, and he got it 😳
Job well done in the blue corner 👏
🎥 #UFC278 Corner Cam https://t.co/gjh5rrWHq2
Akin to many others in the MMA community, former UFC lightweight Josh Thomson was all praise for Edwards’ corner at UFC 278. Amazingly, someone from ‘Rocky’s corner called for a head-kick just moments before he threw the fight-ending strike.
In an episode of the Weighing In podcast, Thomson highlighted Edwards' corner's brilliance. Moreover, labeling Edwards’ corner as the “MVP” of the fight, 'The Punk' said:
''John, there is one MVP in this fight, just one - Leon Edwards' fu**ing corner. You don't have a corner like that, you got a wrong corner. We have seen too many time fighters corner say, 'It's close but I think we got it.' Or, 'You won that round and it was close.' No, you lost that round.''
Watch Thomson’s assessment below: