Tonight the bright lights of London’s iconic O2 Arena will shine on Leon Edwards as he defends his UFC welterweight Championship in the biggest fight of his career against longtime rival Kamaru Usman. Repeat or revenge is the question on everyone’s mind. Will ‘the Nigerian nightmare’ put a quick end to Leon’s championship dream & reclaim his place on the throne he dominated for so long? Or will ‘Rocky’ cement his position as king of the division & prove that the headkick that shook the world in August last year was no lucky shot?
Leon Edwards has everyone’s attention now.
However, at one time, this would’ve seemed an impossibility. The Jamaican-Brit’s road to this moment has been anything but easy.
“Champion of the world, look at me now. I was born in Jamaica with nothing. I lived in a wooden shed with a zinc roof. Look at me now!”
Leon Edwards emotional post-fight interview after knocking out Kamaru Usman to claim the UFC welterweight title at UFC 278
Leon Edwards: Early Years
Leon was born on August 25th, 1991, in Kingston, Jamaica. He spent the first nine years of his life there, where he was exposed to hunger, poverty, and crime that surrounded him.
“As a kid growing up in Jamaica, all you see is crime, drugs, killing, shooting, poverty. Day in and day out. I’ve never seen someone get shot in front of my face, but I’ve seen people who were hit with bullets running to get away.
“Killing became normal to me as a kid. Hearing gunshots was normal; it did not faze me. When you’re playing outside in Jamaica and you hear gunshots, you don’t run and hide.
“You just look, and if it’s nowhere near you, you carry on with your day. That was it. It is a part of life. We didn’t know any better.” Leon told ESPN in 2019.
Leon lived with his, father, mother & brother, all in one single room. One single room in a wooden shed, with a zinc roof.
After separating from Leon’s mother and leaving for London, Leon & his family were called over to England by his dad. Leon, his mother, and his brother settled in a neighborhood called Aston in Birmingham. But, despite moving in search of a better life, violence continued to be a major part of his upbringing.
Father’s Death & Personal Struggles With Crime
“When I was 14, my father was murdered. He was shot and killed at a nightclub in London.
“It was probably like 2 am,” he recalled. “I was in my room. Mum was in her room. We hear the phone ringing. I heard her crying, and I knew from then something bad, you know.
“Eventually, she came into my room and just told me this, your dad’s just got killed in London. It was something to do with money. I don’t know what exactly. It was some mad s***, but I knew that it could happen.”
Leon found himself in a situation where he saw few options other than conforming to the way of life that surrounded him. With the trauma of his father’s death added, it’s clear to see how Leon was sleepwalking into his father’s footsteps.
“But that didn’t make it any easier. It f***ed me up. It pushed me more into gang life and crime, toward the negative. My mid-teens were my darkest years” Leon added.
“I was arrested a few times, for fights and having a knife. My mum had to come to the police station many times to get me out,” Leon told the BBC.
“I knew what I was doing was breaking her heart, but I just kept doing it because your friends are doing it and as a teenager, you’re just involved.”
“It was mostly fighting. I fought to defend friends, I fought to intimidate, and I fought because of beefs. I fought all the time. That’s why my nickname is ‘Rocky.’ I got that from school. That’s before I got into MMA. I got it just from scrapping in the streets.”
His Mother’s Influence On His MMA Journey
At the age of 17, whilst waiting for a bus together, Edwards’ mum spotted an MMA gym, ‘Ultimate Training Centre’.
“She was the one that got me into MMA, even though she didn’t do it for a career path,” Edwards told BT Sport.
“She did it to basically save her son from getting involved deeper into going to prison, or dead, or stabbed, or I could have been doing, like I said, life in prison.
“You know, so she did it from that part of her heart, but by God’s grace it turned out to be a career for me.”
By God’s grace it certainly did. Leon’s mum worked multiple jobs to scrape together training fees as he became obsessed with the sport.
His coaches quickly spotted that he was a natural talent & it wasn’t long before he was fighting & coaching to pay his membership. Edwards’ frequent presence at the gym was a magnet for his friends. This kept them away from trouble and led to his brother, Fabian, following in his footsteps.
The Journey to UFC 286
After winning his first six professional fights, Leon was signed by the UFC in 2014. He continued to climb the ranks with his pinpoint striking and impressively well-rounded game. He no doubt built an impressive record only losing twice in 15 UFC bouts, one being a loss to Kamaru Usman in 2015, but it also can’t be denied that much like his upbringing, setbacks have never been far from him. The pandemic delayed big opportunities for him, including the opportunity to headline the O2 back in 2020. As well as this, a string of opponent pullouts led Leon to become notorious for his bad luck.
Regardless, Leon’s vision never wavered and he was always outspoken in his belief that he’d be welterweight champion one day.
Having produced one of the greatest ever knockouts, upsets, and comebacks all in one fight against Usman at UFC 278, he now sits where rightfully belongs, at the pinnacle of the sport that saved his life.
“Bang! Headshot dead!” and the rest is history…
Giving Back To His Family and Community
Edwards’ success has allowed him to spoil his family, including flying his 80-year-old grandmother to the UK for the first time in her life. He is grateful for the sacrifices his family made to support him, and he is determined to give back. In addition, he fulfilled his mother’s dream of opening her own restaurant, called Sweet’s Kitchen, serving traditional Caribbean food.
“I gave her a car before, but this time she wanted like a restaurant. She’s a very good cook, she loves cooking.
“I kept saying I can get someone to work in there for you, but she said no, I want to work there, and I want to cook there – she wants to do it!” – Leon Told Sky Sports
He’s also a vocal advocate against knife crime. By partnering with Onside Legacy Youth Zone, a program that offers mentorship to young people in London, Birmingham, and Liverpool, he’s a crucial role model to prevent kids from going down similar paths to that he was on.
Leon Edwards: An Inspiration For Aspiring Fighters and Dreamers Alike
Leon Edwards lives up to his nickname in more ways than one, his journey to the top of the UFC is beyond a real-life rocky story. Despite growing up in a world that revolved around unimaginable trauma, he managed to rise above his circumstances with the help of his mother’s unwavering support and a chance encounter with MMA. Fast forward to today, all eyes are on Leon as he will headline one of the most iconic arenas in the UK. The UK, Jamaica & the world will be watching. The pressure is on but he thrives under pressure. And most importantly, whatever the outcome of UFC 286, there is no doubt that Leon Edwards’ mother will be proud of the champion that she helped to shape.
What do you think of Leon’s story? Will Leon Edwards defeat Kamaru Usman to retain the UFC Welterweight Championship at UFC 286? Let us know your predictions in the comments below!
