Leon Edwards is an inspirational story of a fighter emerging from the trenches and finally having a chance to touch the skies.
Last Saturday, against all odds, he became the UFC Welterweight Champion after defeating Kamaru Usman in a dramatic fashion. Usman had dominated the first four rounds and also the first four minutes of Round 5.
But the UFC is possibly the most unpredictable sport in the world. Anything can happen during a fight, even at the last second.
In fact, Edwards suffered almost a similar fate while fighting Nate Diaz in June 2021.
He had dominated the whole match, but Diaz headbutted him, nearly knocking him to the ground. This kick to the head came as no surprise to Leon and his team. In fact, there are images that prove the opposite.
Leon Edwards gets the head-kick ready for Usman.
In some behind-the-scenes footage of Leon Edwards’ camp, his trainers prepare him for it as Kamaru Usman makes a right turn, exposing his entire face.
They had prepared for this moment, which finally came when there was only one minute left on the clock. Had that kick not landed, Usman would undoubtedly have retained his belt and Leon Edwards would not have made history as he did.
Watching that kick over and over again is like watching poetry in motion. All the hours spent training for this moment were rewarded with this kick that not even Leon Edwards could understand at the time.
It took him a few seconds to realize what he had done, welterweight history.
Will Leon Edwards take the rematch immediately?
According to Dana White shortly after the event, the UFC is booked until January 2023. Although Kamaru Usman takes a few months to recover from this kick, there is no chance these two will meet. 2022, again in an octagon. However, both expressed a desire to access it as soon as possible.
Read More: “A Lot Of People Don’t Recover” – Khabib Nurmagomedov on Kamaru Usman’s loss.
