Leon Edwards Is A Man On A Mission Ahead Of UFC London

After enduring a nightmare week that resulted in him losing his undisputed UFC welterweight title to Belal Muhammad last July. Leon Edwards would have been hoping for a nice, smooth week in London as he prepares to bounce back to winning ways.

But the MMA gods clearly had something else in mind on media day, as his sit-down session with the press was rudely interrupted by a sudden – and very loud – emergency alarm test.

More news: UFC London: Four Fights To Follow As Former Champion Leon Edwards Returns

Edwards was just a couple of questions into his media day session, with Newsweek holding the mic, when the alarm kicked in and brought proceedings to an abrupt halt.

“I feel like Belal did that!” he laughed as his chat with the media was put on hold for a few minutes while the alarm test concluded.

It was a light-hearted moment in a media session that at times left Edwards a little frustrated, with some of the lines of questioning trying to take him away from the task at hand – a fight with No. 5-ranked Sean Brady – and instead firing questions at him about the man who dethroned him at UFC 304 last year, Belal Muhammad.

Edwards admitted that his defeat to Muhammad in Manchester was a bad night at the office, and said that his performance was adversely affected by having to fight on home soil in the UK, but at US primetime, with his fight taking place at 5am.

Now, Edwards wants to bounce back into the win column with victory over fellow contender Brady, and set himself up for another shot at the 170-pound title later this year.

“One hundred percent,” he said.

“I feel like I’m still ranked number-one in the division. There’s been no movement in the division since I last fought. I go out there and get a good perforamance against Sean, put him away, finish him, I feel like it puts me right back in line to where I feel I belong.”

While Edwards appeared to be as calm and happy as we’re used to seeing at UK UFC media days, he did get a little frustrated over the line of questioning coming back to Muhammad, then suggesting he’s talking too much about the current champion.

“I’m not talking about Belal,” he insisted.

“You keep asking about him!”

One thing is for sure, Edwards will be more than happy to talk about Muhammad if he gets the win on Saturday night. His sights are firmly set on regaining the title he lost in Manchester last year.

And, if Muhammad gets through his upcoming title defense against Australian contender Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315 later this summer, a rematch between the pair could be on the cards.

But, as Edwards explained, his mission isn’t to rematch Muhammad, it’s to win back his title, regardless of who happens to be holding it at the time.

“This is not about Belal,” he said.

“It’s about the belt, not Belal. My goal is the championship, whether Belal’s got it, or JDM.”

He also had a response for the suggestion that he could let the supposed “distraction” of the title get between him and a win this weekend.

More news: Leon Edwards Targeting Title Rematch With Belal Muhammad: ‘I Truly Believe I Am The Better Fighter’

“My whole career, it’s been the same, right? I’ve always had a goal in my brain to become UFC world champion. That goal drove me to become UFC world champion.

“I lost the belt, (so) now my goal again, is to be two-time world champion.So I get up in the morning and, when I’m running, when I’m envisioning, when I’m dreaming, it’s for that, right?

“I don’t get how a goal can be a distraction. You can’t – for me, anyway. I feel like this is motivation, if anything. It helps you to push on, and that’s it.”

More MMA:

UFC 313: Mauricio Ruffy Knocks Out King Green With Devastating Head Kick

Paul Hughes Set For Homecoming Headliner At PFL Europe Belfast

For more on the UFC, head to Newsweek Sports.