The script that unraveled at UFC London isn’t unique in the MMA world. A dominant champion dropping his title, determined to come back stronger, going on a losing skid, and then eventually taking up the role of a gatekeeper. Jose Aldo, Israel Adesanya, Fabricio Werdum. All of these names are proof of the aforementioned tussle for coming back in pursuit of regaining one’s former glory but ultimately falling short. It is safe to say that Leon Edwards is currently on level 3 of our analogy. So, what does the former champ need to do before he eventually fades into oblivion? It seems former 185lbs kingpin Robert Whittaker has the answer.

Bobby Knuckles feels bad for the Brit after his one-sided mauling against the now #1 ranked contender Sean Brady. Edwards, of course, was dominated on the ground by the American’s world-class grappling and went on to suffer the first stoppage loss of his career. This comes at the heels of the Englishman losing his 170lbs crown to Belal Muhammad in a similarly unceremonious manner last year.

And at this stage, the road back to title contention seems egregiously long. Would he succeed in getting back to the top? Well, age is on the 33-year-old’s side. Not to mention his two recent losses have come at the hands of world-class strikers, which is not surprising since the Englishman is a striker. But Whittaker feels that Edwards needs to do at least a couple of things before he gets back into the Octagon if the former champ wants to get back to the top.

“I think he needs to just reinvent himself a little bit, come back fresh, maybe take some time off. He’s a year younger than me. He’s got time, still. Maybe take a little bit of a grace period and then and then come back and fight guys like Shavkat [Rakhmonov]. You see I think Shavkat’s a good fight for him,” Whittaker said on the ‘MMArcade’ podcast.

Indeed, Edwards needs some good defensive grappling skills at the very least if he wants to beat the top contenders like Muhammad, Brady, or Shavkat Rakhmonov, whom ‘The Reaper’ thinks ‘Rocky’ should fight next. Otherwise, things may continue to worsen for him, as was proven in his last two fights.

Along with closing the holes in his game, taking a break would also let Edwards get his head right. A series of such tough losses would harm most people’s self-confidence and mental well-being. Not to mention most UFC fighters deal with persistent minor and major injuries. Going on a hiatus like Israel Adesanya would certainly help rejuvenate, reinvigorate, and perhaps even reinvent Edwards as Whittaker wants. Along with this advice, the former champ also had some real concerns about ‘Rocky’s game and his mindset, which he thinks the Brit should work on.

Robert Whittaker points out Leon Edwards’s biggest problems

Robert Whittaker commended Sean Brady for having the perfect game plan to counter Edwards. “Brady did so well out of the gate, working on kicks when he was at a distance and then, like, pushing into that space, pushing Edwards back and just walking him down, you know,” the former middleweight champ said. And if Whittaker, Brady, and Belal Muhammad have worked this out, perhaps Edwards needs to change his game a bit to not be so predictable.

But more than any technical flaws, the Kiwi felt that Brady exploited the biggest weakness Edwards’ has. His reluctance to get into a fire-fight. “Like making it awkward, making it a dog fight. Which is, like, it’s Leon Edwards’ kryptonite is dog fights,” he added. Moreover, Whittaker is afraid that Edwards may just not have the drive and motivation to be the very best in the world. What is the aim of every mixed martial artist (except Kevin Holland) to become a UFC champion?

However, according to Bobby Knuckles, “There’s a lot of guys that hit the top of the ladder and then realize that it’s like they’ve achieved their goal, they’ve achieved their dream,” which leads to stagnation, lack of motivation, and ultimately losses. And the former champ feels that Edwards “needs to deal with that part of it.” What do you think about Robert Whittaker’s take on Leon Edwards’ UFC London loss?