Leon Edwards

Leon Edwards (born 25 August 1991) is a British-Jamaican professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2011, Edwards formerly competed for BAMMA, where he was the BAMMA Welterweight Champion. As of October 28, 2020, he is #3 in the UFC welterweight rankings.[5]

Leon Edwards
Born (1991-08-25) 25 August 1991
Kingston, Jamaica
Other namesRocky
ResidenceErdington, Birmingham, England
NationalityBritish[1]
Height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)[2]
Weight77.3 kg (170 lb; 12.17 st)
DivisionMiddleweight (2011)
Welterweight (2011, 2012–present)
Reach74 in (188 cm)[3]
StanceSouthpaw
Fighting out ofErdington, Birmingham, England
TeamTeam Renegade BJJ & MMA (2016–present)
Ultimate Training Centre (2010–2015)
American Kickboxing Academy (2015)
RankPurple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Chiu Kwong Man[4]
Years active2011–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total21
Wins18
By knockout6
By submission3
By decision9
Losses3
By decision2
By disqualification1
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background

Edwards was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and lived with his parents and his brother in a one-room house. Growing up, he was surrounded by crime, and his father was involved in what he describes as "questionable activities". Edwards moved to Aston, England at age nine, and his father was shot and killed in a nightclub when he was fourteen. He was then involved in criminal activity such as drug dealing, street fighting, and knife possession along with his social circle, but was able to get out of his lifestyle at age 17, when his mother got him to join an MMA club.[6]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Edwards began his professional fighting career in 2010, making his debut as an amateur at Bushido Challenge 2 - A New Dawn. Edwards fought Carl Booth, winning via Armbar submission in round two.

Fight UK MMA

Edwards then signed a contract with Fight UK MMA. He debuted for the promotion against Damian Zlotnicki, winning via technical knockout in the first round. He had two more fights for the promotion, winning against Pawel Zwiefka and losing against Delroy McDowell via DQ by way of illegal knee.

Post-Fight UK MMA

Edwards obtained a 2–1 record after leaving Fight UK MMA. He then fought Craig White at the Strength and Honor 14, winning by decision. Edwards then went to fight for "BAMMA", in which he went 5–0. During his stint with BAMMA he won the welterweight championship against Wayne Murrie and he defended it once against Shaun Taylor in what was his last fight with BAMMA before going to the UFC.[7]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Edwards made his promotional debut against Cláudio Silva on 8 November 2014 at UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Saint Preux.[8] He was defeated via split decision.[9]

Edwards faced veteran Seth Baczynski on 11 April 2015 at UFC Fight Night 64.[10] Edwards was victorious, knocking his opponent out eight seconds into the bout with a straight left hand after timing a kick.[11] The result also earned him a Performance of the Night bonus[12] and marked one of the sixth fastest knockouts in the organization.[13]

Edwards faced Pawel Pawlak on 18 July 2015 at UFC Fight Night 72.[14] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[15]

Edwards next faced eventual UFC champion Kamaru Usman on 19 December 2015 at UFC on Fox 17.[16] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[17]

Edwards faced Dominic Waters on 8 May 2016 at UFC Fight Night 87.[18] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[19]

Edwards next faced Albert Tumenov on 8 October 2016 at UFC 204.[20] He won the fight via submission in the third round.[21]

Edwards faced Vicente Luque on 18 March 2017 at UFC Fight Night 107.[22] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[23]

Edwards faced Bryan Barberena on 2 September 2017 at UFC Fight Night 115.[24] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[25]

Edwards faced Peter Sobotta on 17 March 2018 at UFC Fight Night 127.[26] He won the fight via TKO at 4:59 in the third round.[27]

Edwards faced Donald Cerrone on 23 June 2018 at UFC Fight Night 132.[28] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[29]

Edwards faced Gunnar Nelson on 16 March 2019 at UFC Fight Night 147.[30] He won the bout by split decision.[31] After the event, Edwards was involved in a backstage brawl with Jorge Masvidal, which left Edwards with a laceration under his left eye. [32]

Edwards faced former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos on 20 July 2019 in the main event of UFC on ESPN 4.[33] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[34]

As the first bout of his new, multi-fight contract, Edwards was scheduled to face Tyron Woodley on 21 March 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs. Edwards.[35][36] However, the restrictions related to COVID-19 forced Edwards to withdraw as the event was meant to be moved from London to the United States, and the event was subsequently cancelled.[37]

After a 425-day hiatus since his bout with Dos Anjos, the UFC had removed Edwards from the UFC rankings due to inactivity on 22 October 2020.[38][39] However, one day later, it was announced that he had been scheduled to face undefeated prospect Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of UFC Fight Night 183 on 19 December 2020.[40] This involved Edwards being back to the #3 spot in the UFC rankings.[41] On 29 November, it was announced that Chimaev had allegedly tested positive for COVID-19, which meant the bout was declared on jeopardy.[42][43] On 1 December, Edwards officially tested positive for COVID-19 and allegedly lost twelve pounds due to the severity of his case,[44] so the bout was subsequently postponed.[45] On 22 December, it was announced that the contest has been rescheduled for January 20, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 185.[46][47] In turn, Chimaev pulled out of the contest on December 29 due to his own COVID-19 recovery.[48][49] As a result, the bout was momentarily cancelled.[50] On 13 January, the bout was scheduled for the third time, and it is now expected to headline UFC Fight Night 187 on 13 March 2021.[51]

Personal life

Leon, grew up in Birmingham, England but is originally from Kingston, Jamaica. He started training mixed martial arts when he was 16. His nickname, Rocky, was given to him by his friends in school.[52] His brother Fabian is also an MMA fighter for Bellator MMA.[53]

Championships and achievements

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
21 matches 18 wins 3 losses
By knockout 6 0
By submission 3 0
By decision 9 2
By disqualification 0 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 18–3 Rafael dos Anjos Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: dos Anjos vs. Edwards 20 July 2019 5 5:00 San Antonio, Texas, United States
Win 17–3 Gunnar Nelson Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Till vs. Masvidal 16 March 2019 3 5:00 London, England
Win 16–3 Donald Cerrone Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Edwards 23 June 2018 5 5:00 Kallang, Singapore
Win 15–3 Peter Sobotta TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Volkov 17 March 2018 3 4:59 London, England
Win 14–3 Bryan Barberena Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Struve 2 September 2017 3 5:00 Rotterdam, Netherlands
Win 13–3 Vicente Luque Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Manuwa vs. Anderson 18 March 2017 3 5:00 London, England
Win 12–3 Albert Tumenov Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC 204 8 October 2016 3 3:01 Manchester, England
Win 11–3 Dominic Waters Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Arlovski 8 May 2016 3 5:00 Rotterdam, Netherlands
Loss 10–3 Kamaru Usman Decision (unanimous) UFC on Fox: dos Anjos vs. Cerrone 2 19 December 2015 3 5:00 Orlando, Florida, United States
Win 10–2 Pawel Pawlak Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Leites 18 July 2015 3 5:00 Glasgow, Scotland
Win 9–2 Seth Baczynski KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Gonzaga vs. Cro Cop 2 11 April 2015 1 0:08 Kraków, Poland Performance of the Night.
Loss 8–2 Cláudio Silva Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Saint Preux 8 November 2014 3 5:00 Uberlândia, Brazil
Win 8–1 Shaun Taylor KO (punch) BAMMA 16: Daley vs. da Rocha 13 September 2014 3 3:30 Manchester, England Defended the BAMMA Welterweight Championship.
Win 7–1 Wayne Murrie Submission (rear-naked choke) BAMMA 15: Thompson vs. Selmani 5 May 2014 3 3:13 Hackney Wick, England Won the BAMMA Welterweight Championship.
Win 6–1 Wendle Lewis KO (punches) BAMMA 14: Daley vs. da Silva 14 December 2013 1 1:20 Birmingham, England
Win 5–1 Adam Boussif Submission (arm-triangle choke) BAMMA 13: Nunes vs. Jones 13 September 2013 1 2:10 Birmingham, England
Win 4–1 Jonathan Bilton TKO (knees) BAMMA 11: Marshman vs. Foupa-Pokam 1 December 2012 2 1:11 Birmingham, England
Win 3–1 Craig White Technical Decision SAH 14: Strength And Honour 14 3 November 2012 2 5:00 Exeter, England
Loss 2–1 Delroy McDowell DQ (illegal knee) Fight UK MMA: Fight UK 6 25 February 2012 3 2:40 Leicester, England Return to Welterweight.
Win 2–0 Pawel Zwiefka Decision (unanimous) Fight UK MMA: Fight UK 5 19 November 2011 3 5:00 Leicester, England Middleweight debut.
Win 1–0 Damian Zlotnicki TKO (punches) Fight UK MMA: Fight UK 4 5 June 2011 1 2:15 Leicester, England

See also

References
  1. "Leon Edwards won't leave the UK in pursuit of UFC gold". Fighters Only. 30 August 2017. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  2. "Leon@sherdog".
  3. "Fight Card - UFC Fight Night Bisping vs. Leites". UFC.com. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  4. https://m.facebook.com/IntelligenceOverStrength/photos/a.1076076605753173/2608768842483934/?type=3&source=54. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. "Rankings | UFC". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  6. "Leon Edwards: MMA saved me from being 'dead, in prison or dead broke'". ESPN.com. 17 July 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  7. Zane Simon (26 September 2014). "Welcome to the UFC, Lapilus, Ansaroff, & Edwards". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  8. "CLAUDIO HENRIQUE DA SILVA DEF. LEON EDWARDS". mmafighting.com. 9 June 2010. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  9. Marc Raimondi (9 November 2014). "Toughness, ground work get Claudio Silva by Leon Edwards by split decision". foxsports.com. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  10. "UFC Fight Night 64 results: Leon Edwards takes eight seconds to KO Seth Baczynski". MMAJunkie.com. 11 April 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  11. Ben Fowlkes (11 April 2015). "UFC Fight Night 64 results: Leon Edwards takes eight seconds to KO Seth Baczynski". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  12. Mookie Alexander (11 April 2015). "UFC Poland post-fight bonuses: Cro Cop, Gonzaga, Moroz, and Edwards pick up $50,000 each". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  13. "Quickest Knockout Finishes In UFC". Tapology. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  14. Matt Erickson (18 May 2015). "Redmond vs. Whiteford, Edwards vs. Pawlak booked for UFC Fight Night 72 in Scotland". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  15. Steven Marrocco (18 July 2015). "UFC Fight Night 72 results: Head kick helps Leon Edwards past Pawel Pawlak". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  16. Staff (1 September 2015). "Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman added to UFC on FOX 17 in Orlando". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  17. John Morgan (19 December 2015). "UFC on FOX 17 results: Kamaru Usman grinds out Leon Edwards". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  18. Staff (30 March 2016). "Leon Edwards steps in for injured Peter Sobotta at UFC Fight Night 87 in Rotterdam". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  19. Ben Fowlkes (8 May 2016). "UFC Fight Night 87 results: Leon Edwards shuts out Dominic Waters for unanimous decision". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  20. Staff (23 August 2016). "Leon Edwards vs. Albert Tumenov booked for UFC 204 in Manchester". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  21. Ben Fowlkes (8 October 2016). "UFC 204 results: Leon Edwards rallies, chokes out Albert Tumenov in third round". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  22. Guilherme Cruz (10 January 2017). "Vicente Luque vs. Leon Edwards slated for UFC Fight Night: London". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  23. Steven Marrocco (18 March 2017). "UFC Fight Night 107 results: Leon Edwards ends Vicente Luque's streak with unpredictable attack". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  24. Jordan Breen (3 July 2017). "Bryan Barberena-Leon Edwards welterweight tilt joins Sept. 2 UFC Fight Night 115 in Rotterdam". sherdog.com. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  25. "UFC-Rotterdam results: Leon Edwards survives knockdown, works to decision over Bryan Barberena". MMAjunkie. 2 September 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  26. Dale Jordan (7 December 2017). "Leon Edwards vs Peter Sobotta added to UFC Fight Night 127". mmamad.com. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  27. John Morgan (17 March 2018). "UFC Fight Night 127 results: Leon Edwards earns last-second TKO win". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  28. "Donald Cerrone vs. Leon Edwards scheduled for UFC Singapore main event". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  29. "UFC Fight Night 132 results: Leon Edwards outpoints Donald Cerrone, calls out Jorge Masvidal". MMAjunkie. 23 June 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  30. Doherty, Dan (16 January 2019). "UFC London: Gunnar Nelson Faces Leon Edwards in Co-Main Event". Cageside Press. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  31. "UFC London results: Leon Edwards survives late charge to take split over Gunnar Nelson". MMA Junkie. 16 March 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  32. "Jorge Masvial, Leon Edwards exchange punches backstage". MMA Fighting. 16 March 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  33. Jay Pettry (13 June 2019). "Rafael dos Anjos vs. Leon Edwards to headline UFC San Antonio". sherdog.com. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  34. Doherty, Dan (21 July 2019). "UFC San Antonio Results: Leon Edwards Looks Brilliant in Win Over Rafael dos Anjos". Cageside Press. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  35. "Tyron Woodley, Leon Edwards set to headline UFC on ESPN+ 29 in London". MMA Junkie. 17 January 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  36. Alexander K. Lee (21 January 2020). "Leon Edwards signs multi-fight deal with UFC". mmafighting.com.
  37. King, Nolan; Morgan, John. "UFC postpones three events amid growing coronavirus outbreak". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  38. Harkness, Ryan (22 October 2020). "Leon Edwards removed from UFC welterweight rankings due to inactivity". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  39. "Leon Edwards confirms UFC removed him from welterweight rankings – then says not so fast". MMA Junkie. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  40. "UFC books Leon Edwards vs. Khamzat Chimaev, expected to headline Dec. 19". MMA Junkie. 23 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  41. Heck, Mike (23 October 2020). "Dana White: Deal done to book Leon Edwards vs. Khamzat Chimaev on Dec. 19". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  42. Krohn, Frazer (29 November 2020). "Khamzat Chimaev Tests Positive for COVID-19". MMASucka.com. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  43. Harkness, Ryan (29 November 2020). "Report: Khamzat Chimaev has COVID-19, December 19 fight in jeopardy". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  44. Colman, Gabriel (3 December 2020). "Leon Edwards gives update on his condition after Covid-19 rules him out of UFC fight with Khamzat Chimaev". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  45. "Sources: Edwards-Chimaev off after positive test". ESPN.com. 1 December 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  46. Sherdog.com. "Dana White Officially Announces 'Fight Island' Tripleheader, Including Edwards vs. Chimaev". Sherdog. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  47. "Khamzat Chimaev vs Leon Edwards Gets a New Date". EssentiallySports. 22 December 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  48. Brett Okamoto (29 December 2020). "Sources: Khamzat Chimaev withdraws from Jan. 20 Leon Edwards fight". ESPN. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  49. Danny Segura (30 December 2020). "COVID-19 complications led to Khamzat Chimaev's withdrawal from Leon Edwards bout". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  50. Heck, Mike (30 December 2020). "Michael Chiesa vs. Neil Magny now headlines UFC Fight Island 8". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  51. Martin, Damon (13 January 2021). "Leon Edwards vs. Khamzat Chimaev rebooked to headline UFC event on March 13". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  52. Leon Edwards - Official UFC® Fighter Profile
  53. Shinbt, Jagroop (8 March 2018). "Rocky and the Assassin, the Birmingham brothers looking to dominate MMA". BBC. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
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