After Michael Bisping, the UFC took a long time to crown a British champion. Leon Edwards knocked out Kamaru Usman, the then-pound-for-pound king, to claim the undisputed welterweight title, becoming the second British UFC champion.
Edwards will be looking to defend the title for the third time at UFC 304 against Belal Muhammad. Even though the matchup is in London, Marc Goddard, arguably the best referee from the UK, will not officiate the fight. There is a reason why.
Goddard Cites Conflict of Interest with Leon Edwards
In recent years, Goddard has faced much criticism from fans and fighters. The criticism began when he stopped the UFC 245 main event fight between Usman and Covington. More recently, his stoppages at UFC 295, UFC 292, and UFC 281, all main events, were also subject to criticism from fans and fighters.
Nonetheless, he is one of the best in the business. After all, he had won the Referee of the Year at the 2020-21 World MMA Awards. The 50-year-old recently spoke to ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry on the Overdogs Podcast. Interestingly, he revealed he won’t ever officiate a fight involving Leon Edwards, citing a personal reason.
“I was Leon Edwards’ first coach in MMA, way, way, way back when he was just an amateur. But again, the common sense element for me, like I said, even though the link is so [small]—and who knew then when Leon first walked into that gym as a raw amateur, a raw novice with no experience—now look at him, UFC welterweight champion of the world,” Marc Goddard said.
“But you’ve never seen me referee him, and you never will, because we’ll just keep it, you know, out of the way. I just don’t want any hassle. And I don’t want to be put in a predicament where I’m making a call that could go against him. So, it’s both ways,” the British referee added.
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The 50-year-old also revealed he requested the Florida Athletic Commission not to put him as the third man between Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira II at UFC 287. Adesanya had questioned the stoppage when he fought Pereira at UFC 281, which many felt should’ve gone longer.
Also Read Leon Edwards Reveals Retirement Timeline Prior To UFC 304 Clash Against Belal Muhammad
