UFC 322: Leon Edwards Return, Ready to Ruin Islam Makhachev’s Party

Former UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards lost his belt to Belal Muhammad in the summer of 2024. He then suffered another setback in his London homecoming against Sean Brady in March 2025. With back-to-back losses, his reputation is now under heavy scrutiny and in need of a major boost.

Now, Edwards plans to steal the spotlight at UFC 322 this November. He recently announced his return to the octagon on the undercard of Islam Makhachev’s welterweight title challenge against Jack Della Maddalena. His focus is now clearly on crashing Islam’s party and beginning his own redemption journey.

Leon Edwards Return, Explosive UFC 322 Announced

Since his defeat to Brady in March, Edwards has been quietly training alongside his brother, Fabian Edwards, who recently won the PFL World Tournament. Right after Fabian’s victory, Leon shared his own plans in an exclusive interview with “Bloody Elbow.”

He isn’t content to sit on the sidelines while the welterweight division moves forward without him. The 33-year-old confirmed that he plans to return at UFC 322, saying, “November for sure,” when asked about his comeback timeline.

🚨EXCLUSIVE

🗓️ Leon Edwards has confirmed to @BloodyElbow that he plans to return to the octagon at UFC 322 on the undercard of Jack Della Maddalena vs Islam Makhachev.

🥊 It will kick off what he says will be a 1-2 fight plan to return to title contention.

✍️ Full story below pic.twitter.com/w7Qik612g2

— Donagh Corby (@DonaghCorby_) August 22, 2025

The timing is no coincidence. “Rocky” wants to make his return on the same card where the welterweight title will be defended. Fighting on such a high-profile stage ensures maximum exposure for his comeback attempt.

The highly anticipated bout between Makhachev and Maddalena is set for November at Madison Square Garden, giving Edwards the perfect platform for his return. But his strategy now is to steal the spotlight from that main card.

He explained, “I’ve waited for the division to settle a little bit and now I’m ready to go. I’m one or two away from getting my belt back, so I’m locking in and I’m going to get it done.”

The former champion believes he’s close to another title shot despite back-to-back losses. His plan involves a two-fight comeback that would put him right back in contention for whoever wins between Makhachev and Maddalena.

Who Will Leon Edwards Face?

The former champion has expressed interest in fighting Ian Machado Garry as part of his route back to a title fight. In an interview with Sky Sports, he said, “That’s the fight I’ve mentioned to the UFC. I think that would be a great fight to get back in there.”

The Irish striker ranks #6 in the division and represents exactly the type of test Edwards needs to prove he belongs back in title contention. Some say Garry mirrors early Conor McGregor energy, though he just averaged 1.02 takedowns per fight. So, he seems more interested in the Garry fight

Carlos Prates also called out Edwards after his spinning elbow knockout of Geoff Neal at UFC 319. He just silenced the crowd, ending the fight at 4:59 of Round 1.

CARLOS PRATES KNOCKED OUT GEOFF NEAL WITH A SPINNING BACK ELBOW 😳

ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS 🔥 #UFC319 pic.twitter.com/9lmRiaYDUA

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 17, 2025

Plus, it was one of the most spectacular finishes of the year. He also became the first fighter to finish Neal by strikes in the UFC Now, the Brazilian striker sees Edwards as his path to bigger fights and UFC 322 could be just that event.

Leon Edwards plans to move up to middleweight eventually but says he will NOT fight Israel Adesanya:

“I don’t want to fight Izzy. Not because I’m afraid of him… we’ve built a relationship where it would be weird to fight him.”

🎥 @SkySports #UFC304 #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/FBMXNgjr8r

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 24, 2024

But Israel Adesanya was never on his list because they had built a relationship.

Main image credit: IMAGO / Action Plus