Born in Jamaica and raised in England, Leon Edwards has fulfilled his mission.
Edwards left Kamaru Usman on the Octagon canvas Saturday night, claiming the UFC welterweight title.
From a childhood ravaged by death and destruction around him, Edwards survived. He began training at 17 years old at the request of his mother and never looked back.
In Salt Lake City, Utah, miles away from his home, Edwards showed why he was a worthy challenger to the reign of Usman.
Edwards, a staple at several gyms throughout his career, became the first fighter to take Usman down when he did so in the opening five minutes. From there, though, he had to fight and battle to stay in the game.
Nothing new for Edwards.
He made his UFC debut in 2014 and was bested by Claudio Silva via split decision. That, though, didn’t derail him from continuing his mission.
Edwards picked up back-to-back wins and earned a date with Usman in 2015. After three rounds, he was handed his third career loss.
Since that fateful night, he has not been defeated. Vicente Luque, Donald Cerrone, Gunnar Nelson, Rafael dos Anjos and Nate Diaz are among the many who have tried – and failed – to top him again.
August 20, 2022 will be remembered as the greatest night in the fighting career of Leon Edwards. And you can be his family, friends and fellow training partners will never forget it either.
