The Story of Leon Edwards Board Member Sent by Mother Trying MMA Now UFC Champion

loading…

The Story of Leon Edwards Board Member Sent by His Mother Jajal MMA Now UFC/The Sun Champion

The story of UFC fighter Leon Edwards turns out to be a former councilman who was put into MMA by his mother and is on the cusp of cementing his legacy. Leon Edwards never imagined he would fight for the UFC title when his mother turned him into mixed martial arts in a desperate attempt to get him off the streets of Birmingham.

But 13 years after jumping into the sport due to a misadventure, Rocky is competing for the sport’s most coveted prize. The 31-year-old Brummie native finally got his long-awaited shot at the welterweight title last August against the division’s reigning king, Kamaru Usman, an opportunity he grabbed with both hands.

However, the prospect of reaching the pinnacle of the sport has not daunted Edwards ahead of the biggest bout of his career, as he has tackled the treacherous roads of Kingston, Jamaica and Birmingham.
He told SunSport: “I believe my childhood through adulthood prepared me for this moment. It prepared me for the pressure and prepared me for everything. I am now entering my fourth main fight in the UFC. But to me, this just feels like another major fight. It doesn’t feel like a title fight.”

Edwards was on the wrong path to a life of crime at the notorious Jarvis Road Estate, Birmingham, at the age of 13 after his father was murdered. And he is very grateful to his mother for being thrifty and saving every penny he has to pay for his gym membership to keep him on track.

“He really did it because I got into trouble.” He said, ‘Instead of just hanging out on the street with nothing to do, go to the gym and train in the gym. I am always grateful to him [atas apa yang dia lakukan].”

Edwards becomes the first British fighter to challenge for UFC gold since Darren Till failed to win the welterweight title four and a half years ago. The slick left-handed fighter suffered a points loss to Usman eight years ago, but he managed to get his revenge with a stunning head kick at UFC 278, even though that wasn’t on his mind ahead of their rematch.

“For me, it’s just been purely about my career and achieving my dreams and putting the icing on the cake in my life story. To come from Jamaica and emigrate to England and now fight for the UFC world title, it’s a crazy life. And for me the most important thing is to beat him and be world champion.”

The Nightmare Nigeria, Usman, managed to beat the newcomers after being welcomed by Edwards into the top MMA organization in December 2015. However, his dominant win over Rocky is now a distant memory after he was ruthlessly knocked out by the Team Renegade ace. Edwards said of the stunning finish in his maiden title fight: “I knew I needed a finish.

“My trainer told me and I knew I had to go forward and get the finish. I fell in three rounds. That technique, we practiced in training camp. We used it.”