Leon Aaron Edwards was born on 25 August 1991 and is an English professional mixed martial artist.
35 Facts About Leon Edwards
2.
Leon Edwards currently competes in the Welterweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he is the current UFC Welterweight Champion.
3.
Leon Edwards was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and lived with his parents and his brother in a one-room house.
4.
Leon Edwards moved to the Aston area of Birmingham, England at age nine, and his father was shot and killed in a nightclub in London when Leon Edwards was thirteen.
5.
Leon Edwards 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.
Leon Edwards began his professional fighting career in 2010, making his debut as an amateur at Bushido Challenge 2 - A New Dawn.
7.
Leon Edwards fought Carl Booth, winning via Armbar submission in round two.
8.
Leon Edwards debuted for the promotion against Damian Zlotnicki, winning via technical knockout in the first round.
9.
Leon Edwards had two more fights for the promotion, winning against Pawel Zwiefka and losing against Delroy McDowell via DQ by way of an illegal knee.
10.
Leon Edwards then fought Craig White at the Strength and Honor 14, winning by decision.
11.
Leon Edwards made his promotional debut against Claudio Silva on 8 November 2014 at UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs Saint Preux.
12.
Leon Edwards faced veteran Seth Baczynski on 11 April 2015 at UFC Fight Night 64.
13.
Leon Edwards won the fight via KO at 0:08 of the first round.
14.
Leon Edwards faced Pawel Pawlak on 18 July 2015 at UFC Fight Night 72.
15.
Leon Edwards next faced eventual UFC champion Kamaru Usman on 19 December 2015 at UFC on Fox 17.
16.
Leon Edwards faced Dominic Waters on 8 May 2016 at UFC Fight Night 87.
17.
Leon Edwards next faced Albert Tumenov on 8 October 2016 at UFC 204.
18.
Leon Edwards won the fight via submission in the third round.
19.
Leon Edwards faced Vicente Luque on 18 March 2017 at UFC Fight Night 107.
20.
Leon Edwards faced Bryan Barberena on 2 September 2017 at UFC Fight Night 115.
21.
Leon Edwards faced Peter Sobotta on 17 March 2018 at UFC Fight Night 127.
22.
Leon Edwards won the fight via TKO at 4:59 in the third round.
23.
Leon Edwards faced Donald Cerrone on 23 June 2018 at UFC Fight Night 132.
24.
Leon Edwards faced Gunnar Nelson on 16 March 2019 at UFC Fight Night 147.
25.
Leon Edwards faced former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos on 20 July 2019 in the main event of UFC on ESPN 4.
26.
However, the restrictions related to COVID-19 forced Leon Edwards to withdraw as the event was meant to be moved from London to the United States, and the event was cancelled.
27.
Leon Edwards was expected to face Nate Diaz on 15 May 2021 at UFC 262, marking the first time a non-main event and non-title bout had been scheduled for 5 rounds in UFC history.
28.
Leon Edwards controlled a vast majority of the bout, but was stunned badly with punches late in the fifth.
29.
Leon Edwards won the fight by unanimous decision.
30.
Leon Edwards was scheduled to face Jorge Masvidal on 11 December 2021 at UFC 269.
31.
Leon Edwards rematched Kamaru Usman on 20 August 2022 at UFC 278 for the UFC Welterweight Championship.
32.
Leon Edwards won the fight and title via knockout in the fifth round, claiming the UFC Welterweight Championship.
33.
Leon Edwards grew up in Aston, Birmingham, England but is originally from Kingston, Jamaica.
34.
Leon Edwards started training mixed martial arts when he was 17.
35.
Leon Edwards's brother, Fabian, is a mixed martial artist for Bellator MMA.