Marc Goddard, known as an influential referee inside the UFC, has been working for a long time. However, over the last few years, this referee has remained in controversy. For instance, in last year’s UFC 292 title fight between Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley, Sterling lost his title to O’Malley, but later, he was by criticized everyone who felt the fight was stopped early.

In his latest appearance on a podcast, Goddard revealed that he will never referee Leon Edwards‘ fight because he was Edward’s first MMA coach. This decision ensures he avoids any conflicts of interest and maintains professional integrity in his refereeing career.

Marc Goddard reveals his coach-student relationship with Leon Edwards

The current UFC welterweight champion, Leon Edwards, has been away from the octagon since his victory over Colby Covington at UFC 296, where Donald Trump was present. Now, he is gearing up for UFC 304 against the #2 ranked contender, Belal Muhammad. The promotion will return to Manchester, England, for the second time since its initial return in 2016.

In his latest interview with Overdogs podcast, the host asked Marc Goddard about any fighters he wouldn’t referee. Goddard replied, “Here’s a classic case: another one Leon Edwards. You will never see me referee Leon Edwards in the UFC, and you never will. Why? Because I was Leon Edwards’ first coach in MMA, way way back when he was just an amateur. But again, the commonsense element for me.” He furthermore added that does not want the hassle or any accusation of favoritism or partiality.

Now, Marc Goddard’s statement makes sense as to why he is away from Leon Edward’s fights. Meanwhile, Nate Diaz, after winning his boxing match against Jorge Masvidal, reveals he wants a rematch with Edwards.

Nate Diaz wants a rematch after win against Masvidal

Last night, Nate Diaz finished one of his opponents from his rematch wishlist, Jorge Masvidal. In their rematch, Diaz defeated Masvidal via majority decision in a 10-round boxing match. Their previous fight at UFC 244 ended with Diaz losing by doctor stoppage under UFC rules. Now, he has avenged that loss. After the fight, Nate Diaz called out Leon Edwards and his boxing rival Jake Paul, both of whom had previously defeated him.

“Just off the top of my head, I would like to whip [Paul’s] a**,” Diaz said at the post-fight press interview. “I would like to get a win against Leon Edwards, who’s the best fighter in the world right now at 170. I think that’s something major who actually brings something that I can take and put in a credential box, that’s what I’m going for. I’m not playing for no f*cking fun fights, because that shit ain’t fun.”

The last time Edwards clashed with Diaz was at UFC 263 in June 2021, where Edwards won via unanimous decision. Do you want to see Nate Diaz in one last fight against Leon Edwards? Let us know in the comments.