Welcome to The Weekly Takedown, Sports Illustrated’s in-depth look at MMA. Every week, this column offers insight and information on the most noteworthy stories in the fight world.
Leon Edwards was supposed to lose to Kamaru Usman last summer.
Except Edwards never listened to those telling him he was destined to lose.
Now the reigning UFC welterweight champion, Edwards defends the title on his home turf in London this Saturday at UFC 286. And it is his steadfast refusal to accept his fate that brings him to the main event at the O2 Arena, as well as serves as the reason he is still alive.
“I was never supposed to be UFC champion,” says Edwards. “I was born in poverty, had a dad involved in gang crime, which caused his murder, and I was going down the same path. I’m not supposed to be here. But here I am.”
Edwards won the title last August at UFC 278, upsetting Usman in the most dramatic fashion. He fought an extremely precise and equally powerful opening round, but then was thoroughly outclassed for the next 15 minutes. Usman even controlled the majority of the fifth, and it appeared Edwards’s fate was to remain as the second-best in the division. That was the case, until Edwards knocked out Usman with an iconic head kick, a legendary moment that will forever be part of his highlight reel.
“I enjoyed the moment,” says Edwards. “How could I not? It was a reward for putting in all the work. But this is bigger than that. All of this is bigger than me being champion.”
A win against Usman on Saturday will extend Edwards’s title reign, as well as further highlight his message.
“Mixed martial arts changed my life, it saved me,” says Edwards. “Before, my environment was smothering my way of thinking. I was making all the wrong choices. Without mixed martial arts, I don’t know where I would be. I only know it would be a bad place.
“Now I’m hungry to be one of the best fighters of all time. And I want to be an inspiration for kids who were like me.”
Edwards has his work cut out for him at 286. Usman is one of the toughest fighters in MMA, making this an extraordinarily difficult first title defense. Yet this is nothing compared to what he already overcame, escaping a life on the street to become the most elite welterweight on the planet. So Edwards was mildly amused at the notion of Usman saying he wants to take his title and his soul Saturday, especially considering what took place between them in their last fight.
“He’s not taking my title,” says Edwards. “And take my soul? I already took his with that head kick. His soul left his body when he was out cold with his eyes open.”
Despite a modicum of trash talk, this bout is not about bad blood. It is a battle of supremacy among the two best welterweights, one where each genuinely believes he is better.
“There is no hatred here,” says Edwards. “There’s no ill will. He thinks he’s better than me, and I believe I’m the better mixed martial artist. But I’m not proving it to him. I’ve made my family proud, I changed my family’s life for generations, so I don’t have to prove myself to anyone.
“My focus is going out there and getting the job done, and I’ll prove again that I am the best in the world.”
Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com . Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.
