Leon Edwards’ UFC Career Highlights | Title Wins To Best Finishes

Edwards has won seven fights by knockout, three of which have come in the UFC. Edwards earned his first UFC victory by knockout when he finished Seth Baczynski just eight seconds into the fight. His second knockout came against Peter Sobotta with just one second remaining in the fight. But it’s Edwards’ third knockout that will go down in the history books as one of the greatest KOs in UFC history. With less than a minute to go in his championship bout with Kamaru Usman, Edwards’ head kick knockout of Usman earned him the welterweight belt.

Five Standout Fights From Leon Edwards’ Career

UFC Fight Night – Donald Cerrone vs Leon Edwards

The slow rise of Leon Edwards featured only one hiccup, and that was against Kamaru Usman in 2015. So when “Rocky” finally got his first main event, it was a big moment from Birmingham, England’s finest. His spot on the marquee came opposite the all-action Hall of Famer Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, and he wasn’t going to disappoint.

Edwards dominated Cerrone for 25 minutes and solidified his spot as one of the true rising contenders at 170-pounds.

UFC Fight Night – Leon Edwards vs Rafael Dos Anjos

Edwards’ second main event spotlight came against former interim welterweight title challenger and former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos.

Like he did in his prior fights, Edwards proved he was the better fighter wherever the fight went, and he showcased that he not only had all the tools to become champion – but he knew how to use them. Edwards won a dominant decision over RDA and put himself firmly into the welterweight title discussion.

UFC 263 – Leon Edwards vs Nate Diaz

Edwards’ critics will point to this fight as a moment where Edwards was nearly beaten, but even though there was a moment of significant danger when Edwards faced Nate Diaz, he still got the win. Edwards still stepped up to take the fight versus Diaz and he was giving him the business for nearly the entire fight before getting caught at the end, but he recovered and held on for the victory.

Edwards taking the fight against Diaz was a high-risk moment in his career that paid off.

UFC 278 – Kamaru Usman vs Leon Edwards 2

Champions as dominant as Usman typically get an immediate rematch, and the UFC granted that to Usman, but this time the fight would go down on Edwards’ home turf in England.

There were many that said that Edwards’ kick was a fluke or that he got lucky, well he proved them wrong by delivering an all-around 25-minute win over Usman, defending his title and pulling ahead 2-1 in his rivalry with Usman.

Leon Edwards’ Athlete Record

UFC 286 (3/18/23) Edwards won a five round majority decision over Kamaru Usman to retain his UFC welterweight title
 

UFC 278 (8/20/22) Edwards knocked out Kamaru Usman at 4:04 of the fifth round to win the UFC welterweight title
 

UFC 263 (6/12/21) Edwards won a five-round unanimous decision over Nate Diaz
 

UFC Fight Night (3/13/21) Edwards’s bout with Belal Muhammad was ruled a no contest (accidental eye poke) at :18 of the second round
 

UFC on ESPN (7/20/19) Edwards won a five round unanimous decision over Rafael Dos Anjos
 

UFC Fight Night (3/16/19) Edwards won a three round split decision over Gunnar Nelson
 

UFC Fight Night (6/23/18) Edwards won a five round unanimous decision over Donald Cerrone
 

UFC Fight Night (3/17/18) Edwards stopped Peter Sobotta via strikes at 4:59 of the third round
 

UFC Fight Night (9/2/17) Edwards won a three round unanimous decision over Bryan Barberena
 

UFC Fight Night (3/18/17) Edwards won a three round unanimous decision over Vicente Luque
 

UFC 204 (10/8/16) Edwards submitted Albert Tumenov via rear naked choke at 3:01 of the third round
 

UFC Fight Night (5/8/16) Edwards won a three round unanimous decision over Dominic Waters
 

UFC on FOX (12/19/15) Edwards lost a three round unanimous decision to Kamaru Usman
 

UFC Fight Night (7/18/15) Edwards won a three round unanimous decision over Pawel Pawlak
 

UFC Fight Night (4/11/15) Edwards knocked out Seth Baczynski at :08 of the first round
 

UFC Fight Night (11/8/14) Edwards lost a three round split decision to Claudio Silva

Leon Edwards Rapid Q & A

• What is Leon Edwards’ UFC record?
  • 21-3, 1 NC
     
• What is Leon Edwards’ age?
  • 32 years old
     
• How tall is Leon Edwards?
  • 6’2”
     
• What is Leon Edwards’ reach?
  • 74”
     
• Where is Leon Edwards from?
  • Kingston, Jamaica
     
• What weight division is Leon Edwards in?
  • Leon Edwards is currently the champion of the welterweight division, which competes at 170-pounds
     
• How many successful welterweight title defenses does Leon Edwards have?
  • One

What Fighting Style Does Leon Edwards Use?

What makes Leon Edwards such a great fighter is his ability to piece together every part of mixed martial arts. He can grapple, he has submissions, he uses his length well, he is an expert at managing distance, he has great cardio, he has phenomenal kicks, and maybe most importantly, he has tremendous heart.

How Many UFC Fights Does Leon Edwards Have?

Leon Edwards has 16 UFC fights.

When Is Leon Edwards’ next fight?

Leon Edwards’ next fight will come at UFC 296 for the undisputed welterweight title against former interim UFC welterweight champion Colby Covington. The fight will take place in Las Vegas on December 16, 2023.