Leon "Rocky" Edwards
Born in Jamaica, where gang violence is a daily casual, his father, a gang leader, decided to take Leon to the UK in seek of a better life. Though moving to the UK might have saved his life, gang violence continues to hunt Leon even after he's moved. At the age of 13, a phone call came in, a call which would change his life forever. His father was shot and killed. A few years later, Leon stepped into an MMA. Little did he know this path would lead him to something glorious. At the gym, he met his coach even today, Dave Lovell, who would become his father figure in life.
"He's a really private person, he's not a loud mouth. He's the kind of kid that if he was in a room full of people, if nobody speaks to him, he'd be happy just sitting there on his own." - Dave Lovell (Leon's coach)
In 2014, Leon got signed into the UFC, and in his fourth fight in the company, he would face up against a man named Kamaru Usman. Leon would then lose by decision, but the story between the two is far from over.
Despite being on a long win streak, UFC is still a business, the company was pushing another English man, Darren Till, who was seen as "the man" in England, taking most of the shine away from Leon. Finally, UFC put on an event in London, where Leon would be on the same card as Darren, Darren was headlining the main event against another top-rank fighter at the time, Jorge Masvidal, while Leon faced his opponent. Darren and Leon had a bit of an argument at the press conference. Which then leads to something unexpected on fight night.
"They were cheering for the away team, you know. They were cheering for Gunnar Nelson (Leon's opponent) in the UK" - Leon Edwards
Leon would beat his opponent, but the luck isn't the same for Darren. Masvidal manages to finish Darren in front of his home crowd. That night, Masvidal would then sucker-punch Leon after a verbal dispute. Leon wanted payback, but that would never come as Masvidal continued his incredible run, becoming fighter of the year, while Leon was left in the shadows due to his unpopularity.
"I think they were protecting him, you know. I think they were giving him the right match up to favor him to try and build a star." - Leon Edwards on Jorge Masvidal
Leon would finally get his shine in 2020 against the former champion Tyron Woodley. This fight was going to happen in the UK and will be a title eliminator. The winner gets a shot at the belt. On a Sunday before the fight, COVID hit, Leon was stuck in the UK, and due to lockdown, the fight's location was changed to Vegas. The division moved on without Leon, and Woodley ended up fighting another top-rank fighter, Gilbert Burns, who won and got the title shot. All of this would've been Leon if Corona hadn't hit. Burns would then get COVID-19 and have to pull out of the title fight. The UFC had no option but to call Leon on six days' notice. Leon hadn't been inside the gym in five months due to the lockdown. Leon turned down the fight, and because of this, he was unfairly punished and removed from the ranking (ranked number 2 at the time).
"It just goes to show the disrespect, that he's been having." - Fabian Edwards (Leon's brother) on Leon getting remove from the rankings
Khamzat Chimiev, a new rising contender who is feared by all other welterweights, Leon was the only person who accepted the fight. The UFC agreed that if he took the fight, he would be back in the ranking. Leon would then get COVID-19, forcing the fight to be rescheduled, and then Khamzat would get COVID-19, forcing the fight to be rescheduled again. The third time, Khamzat pulled due to lingering COVID effects. All this time wasted, unable to get back into the octagon. Frustration came to build as the champion, Kamaru Usman, started lapping the division, beating some opponents twice in a row. Leon was forced to watch others get the title shot two times, and all he could do was watch.
"Let's stop blaming everything around me, I can't control guys turning me down, I can't control not being able to travel, all we can do is turn up to the gym everyday and train, just keep improving, knowing that one day I'm gonna have to fight right?" - Leon Edwards
Leon got a fight against a tough opponent, Belal Muhammad, in the second round, but an accidental eye poke would bring an end to the fight. Leon not only lost his winning streak, which took years to build, but was also labeled a cheater in the fan's eyes.
"What has he done? How many mirrors has he smashed? How many black cats has he walked past? How many ladders has he gon under?" - Adam Catterall (TNT sports broadcaster)
Leon would get another chance for the title shot by fighting one of the most beloved fighters, Nate Diaz. Nate is not ranked and is at the tail end of his career. This fight is viewed as an easy fight for Leon. Leon put on a masterclass in the first four rounds, but with one minute left to go in the final round, Nate caught him with a right hand, wobbling him. Leon was saved by the bell and won a unanimous decision, but the media headline was again taken from Leon.
Fighters use nicknames not only to sound cool but mainly because these nicknames resonate with them the most. Leon's nickname is Rocky, an underdog boxer who overcame the giant. With the continuous unfortunate events, how is Leon going to live up to this nickname? After the win against Diaz, Leon was awarded the title shot. Against someone familiar, someone he had faced before, Kamaru Usman, a long-reigning champion, lapping the entire welterweight (170 lbs) division, the P4P ranking number one (ranking that's not considering weight class). 7 years after Leon lost to Kamaru, his entire career has gone down to this point.
"To see him fulfill his journey, oh man, I can't express what that would mean to me" - Dave Lovell (Leon's coach)
First round starts, Leon did way better than what everyone expected. Usman was taken down for the first time in his career. Round one goes to the English man, but in round two, the long-reigning champion starts showing why he is the P4P number one, completely dominating Leon. This would continue to the end of the fourth round.
"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!!? LISTEN STOP FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELFF! YOU AIN'T COME THIS FAR TO GIVE IT AWAY NOW, YOU TWO F*CKING DOWN, YOU GOTTA PULL THIS SH*T OUTTA FIRE! COME ON LEON!" - Dave Lovell (Leon's coach) heading to the final round
Four minutes went by, with just one minute left in the final round, everything came down to this last minute, all the things that Leon went through to get him to this point, against an unbreakable, all odds against him.
"He may have resigned himself to losing a decision" - Joe Rogan (UFC commentator)
"But that is not the cloth from which he is cut"
Said UFC commentator Jon Anik, as Jon finished the sentence, a head kick landed, and the crowd erupted. The belt is heading to the UK.
"You all doubted me saying I couldn't do it, the odds said I couldn't do it. Look at me now!" - Leon Edwards post fight
Is there any nickname better fitting than Rocky, from gang violence to being dismissed by the fans, by the company, by other fighters, all odds against him. Leon "Rocky" Edwards send his name to the history book with that one kick. All the hard work has finally paid off. The UFC staff started playing the Rocky theme, while the crowd chanted "Rocky", a true fairytale story.
Leon would then beat Usman in the trilogy and defend his title against a strong personality in the UFC, known for his ruthless trash-talking, Colby Covington, during the pre-fight press conference Colby made fun of Leon's father's death, it was tough for Leon, but he manages to fight through like his entire life and put on a beating on Colby cementing himself as the true best fighter in currently in the welterweight (170 lbs) division, Leon continues to writing his own story and cementing his legacy. His story is to be continued...