LEON EDWARDS failed to stop his recent rot as he was brutally knocked out by Carlos Prates.
The former king of the welterweights locked horns with the fan favourite on a stacked UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden early this morning.
Edwards, 34, entered the MSG melee on a two-fight losing streak and his relevance at the top of the division on a knife edge.
He’d vowed to remind the world he was still the man at 170lbs in an exclusive interview with SunSport earlier this week.
But he was handed his third straight loss courtesy of a brutal second-round KO from the in-form Prates.
Edwards started the contest well, taking the centre of the octagon and feinting his way in as well as landing counters.
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But he soon changed tactics with a takedown, much to the dismay of the fans.
‘And he landed a ‘nice knee against the cage before referee Keith Peterson cowed to the fans’ boos and separated them.
In the foreshadowing of what was to come in the second, Prates closed the distance and landed a nice knee to the body before landing a good left hand, which snapped back the former champion’s head.
That prompted Edwards to shoot for a takedown, which he secured before progressing to the back of Prates.
And he came dangerously close to sinking in a rear-naked choke seconds before the round ended.
Edwards was feinting heavily again after the restart and being patient with his strikes.
And he showed he’s still a slick counter striker with a nasty left down the middle that drew a big reaction from the crowd.
But it was that very shot that put him down a few moments later.
And Prates then landed an academic shot to close the show and seal the biggest win of his career.
While Prates is on the up, one wonders where former champ Edwards goes know that he’s lost his last three in a row.
Only time will tell.