Leon Edwards’ MMA record is an impressive one, as ‘Rocky’ ended 2023 on a high with a second successful UFC Welterweight Title defence. Read on to find out more about his professional MMA record, his UFC record, his record in UFC Title fights and how many knockouts he has under his belt.
Leon Edwards MMA Record
Leon Edwards turned professional back in 2011 with a debut knockout victory against Damian Zlotnicki in Leicester, England. Since then, Edwards has had another 25 professional MMA fights, winning all but four of them.
Edwards’ career has been nothing short of magnificent to date. ‘Rocky’ has some huge wins in recent time in the UFC over the likes of Nate Diaz, Rafael dos Anjos, Colby Covington and of course two title victories over the great Kamaru Usman. Now, Edwards sits at the pinnacle of the sport in the welterweight division as the champion.
Leon Edwards epitomizes grit and determination. The 32-year-old was left out in the cold, before winning nine consecutive UFC fights before finally getting his shot at the title. His career up to now has been sensational, and he still has some huge nights left before he hangs his gloves up.
As previously mentioned, Leon Edwards made his professional MMA debut over a decade now. He was on an Fight UK MMA: Fight UK 4 card where he made the perfect start to his career by winning via first round knockout. Edwards then had eight more fights as a pro MMA fighter before signing a deal with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
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Leon Edwards’ start in the UFC didn’t exactly go to plan however. ‘Rocky’ lost his first fight in Dana White’s organisation – a split decision defeat to Claudio Silva on a UFC Fight Night card in Brazil back in November 2014.
However, in typical Leon Edwards fashion, he bounced back with two straight wins – one of which earned him a ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus. Then came the second loss of his UFC career to Kamaru Usman. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ outpointed the Birmingham born MMA fighter, handing his the third defeat of his MMA career.
That loss is the last time ‘Rocky’ was defeated inside the octagon. After that loss to Usman, Edwards went on a seven fight winning run in the UFC. This included victories over the likes of Gunnar Nelson, Vincente Luque, Bryan Barberena, Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone and Rafael dos Anjos.
Next was the ‘No Contest’ against Belal Muhammad. The fight was deemed a NC due to an accidental eye poke. After that, the 1991-born British MMA phenom fought Nate Diaz in a fight that he dominated, beating the veteran via unanimous decision.
Next up was the rematch with Kamaru Usman – this time for the UFC Welterweight Title.
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In his first attempt at UFC gold, it looked as if Edwards’ was about to lose another wide points decision. However, in the last minute of the fight, ‘Rocky’ landed the most perfectly timed head-kick he has ever thrown in his life. The champion wilted to the canvas, with the Englishman becoming the new UFC king at 170-pounds.
Then came the trilogy with Usman, finely poised at 1-1. This time, Edwards put in a stellar performance from start to finish, widely outpointing Usman in the main event at UFC 286 in March 2023. Rivalry settled. Trilogy over.
Edwards then made a successful second defence as the favourite with UFC betting sites, defeating the loud-mouthed American Colby Covington. The fight was totally one-sided, with Edwards beating Covington in every department with relative ease. Sensational performance.
That takes us up to now in the career of Leon Edwards. There is no doubt that ‘Rocky’ is the best 170-pound fighter in the world right now. Not only that, but he is a complete fighter, with an astute ground game, as well as his insane ability on the feet.
The list of names the 32-year-old has defeated is simply incredible. Nate Diaz, Donald Cerrone, Colby Covington, Rafael dos Anjos and Kamaru Usman twice are just some of the stellar names Leon Edwards has defeated in his illustrious career to date.
Be sure to check out the UFC live streaming sites that will be airing Edwards’ fights going forward. Also be sure to claim the various MMA betting offers and boxing free bets available on the SportsLens site.
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