Leon Edwards blames boredom for getting rocked by Nate Diaz in the final round at UFC 263: “Twenty-four minutes of schooling him. It was so easy I got bored”

By Susan Cox - June 15, 2022

Leon Edwards is explaining why he got rocked by Nate Diaz in the final round of UFC 263.

Nate Diaz, Leon Edwards, UFC 263

UFC 263 took place back on Saturday June 12, 2021 at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

It was Leon Edwards (19-3 MMA) vs Nate Diaz (21-13 MMA) in a five-round welterweight fight. The result was a unanimous decision for ‘Rocky’. The Brit landed four takedowns in the lopsided bout but was caught by a late strike from Diaz which clearly rocked him and left him wobbly on his feet.

Speaking on the latest ‘Blockparty‘ podcast, Edwards explained why he became complacent towards the end of the match with Diaz, saying:

“24 minutes of schooling him. It was so easy I got bored whilst I was fighting him. Otherwise, let’s say if it was first or second round, it never would have landed. The reason why it didn’t land is because I was alert and sharp. I thought ‘okay, this fight’s kinda easy, it’s last minute’ but then he caught that shot. It’s something I’m working on now with my coaches, to stay sharp all the way through.”‘

Nate Diaz, Leon Edwards, UFC 263

Nate Diaz and Leon Edwards after fight at UFC 263

Leon Edwards has gone undefeated in his last 10 fights, his last loss was way back in December of 2015 against Kamaru Usman (20-1 MMA).

Edwards is now scheduled to step into the Octagon at UFC 278 on August 20th at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, for a much anticipated rematch with ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’.

Edwards will finally get his shot at welterweight gold.

‘Rocky’ when speaking with ‘The MMA Hour’ was asked if there was any consideration by the UFC to have the title fight on his home soil, and he responded:

“Yeah, that was mentioned to me as well, that they were trying to change the O2 (Arena) to a pay-per-view. But to do that you’d need to have it at four in the morning. I did it before when I fought in Manchester. Bisping was defending his belt. It was four or five in the morning, the card was.”

Are you looking forward to Edwards vs Usman? Who will you be betting on?

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Topics:

Leon Edwards Nate Diaz UFC UFC 263