Leon Edwards has received advice suggesting he might need to make a difficult, possibly emotional, change to reclaim the welterweight championship.
The Birmingham fighter`s time as the 170lb champion ended with a tough loss to Belal Muhammad at UFC 304 in July.
His aspirations to get the belt back were significantly impacted last month when he was submitted by Sean Brady in the main event at UFC London.
Edwards` path back to title contention is now challenging, likened to `Rocky` by UK UFC legend Brad Pickett, who suggests he might need to start this journey from a different training environment.
In an exclusive interview, Brad Pickett, a UK UFC icon, commented: “He`s in a difficult situation.”
“I believe he needs to find or do something to find his motivation again.”
“Many might disagree, but I think perhaps he should consider training elsewhere.”
“Not because Renegade is a poor training facility – it`s excellent, I`ve experienced it myself.”
“But simply to change the environment, you know, perhaps even bringing some of his coaches with him.”
Pickett suggests that training in a new location could re-ignite the passion in the British fighter born in Jamaica.
He added: “Get away from daily distractions and go somewhere different.”
“Regain that hunger. When you`re young and join a new gym, people are driven.”
“It`s like, `Who can I challenge?` I believe he needs to recover that mindset.”
“It`s different from staying at the same gym, in the same environment, and having fighters come to you.”
“Embrace that hunger and train somewhere new where you know others are aiming to challenge you. Just altering the setting.”
“I think that would be very beneficial for him.”
Edwards, aged 33, remained silent following his loss to Brady, who controlled the fight and secured a submission via guillotine choke in the fourth round.
However, he recently broke his silence, posting defiantly on Instagram: “Still HIM.”
