'edwards Is Done - You Can't Teach Heart' - Prates

Carlos Prates believes Leon Edwards is "done" and questioned whether nan erstwhile UFC champion still has nan bosom to compete.

Edwards takes connected welterweight rival Prates astatine UFC 322 connected Saturday astatine Madison Square Garden successful a bid to get backmost successful nan triumph file aft the first successive losses of his career.

The 34-year-old Briton is simply a flimsy underdog against Prates and nan Brazilian criticised Edwards' mentality.

"He's done - you cannot thatch heart," said Prates.

"If you springiness up 1 time, you will springiness up always. When things get hard, he starts to springiness up.

"He doesn't do excessively galore things to effort and alteration nan game.

"I want to spot really he tin conflict pinch personification who really tries to wounded him."

Edwards and 32-year-old Prates came face-to-face astatine Thursday's news conference, pinch nan Englishman biting backmost astatine his opponent's criticism.

"He ain't done thing successful nan athletics astatine all. On Saturday nighttime I get to beryllium my case," Edwards said.

The face-off passed without incident and Edwards is already plotting a measurement backmost to a UFC title.

He has a three-fight scheme that includes a triumph complete Prates earlier a conflict astatine UFC London successful March, past perchance a title changeable against nan champion successful nan summertime of 2026.

Having faced knowledgeable grapplers successful Sean Brady, Belal Muhammad and Colby Covington successful his past 3 outings, Edwards is expecting a stand-up speech pinch Prates, who has 17 knockouts successful his 22 wins.

"He's nan first striker I've fought for 4 years, I think. It's exciting," he said.

"When you conflict a striker you tin travel a spot more. It's a bully force to get backmost to wherever I near off.

"He's each right. Skill for accomplishment I'm nan amended fighter, nan amended athlete. I will punctual him of who I am."

UFC 322 is spearheaded by 2 title fights arsenic Islam Makhachev steps up to welterweight to conflict champion Jack Della Maddalena.

In nan co-main Valentina Shevchenko defends her flyweight title against chap pound-for-pound prima Zhang Weili, who for illustration Makhachev is stepping up a weight successful a bid to go a two-weight UFC champion.

All 4 fighters made weight connected Friday.