Leon Edwards' Unbeaten Streak

Edwards didn’t get his UFC tenure off to the hottest start when he joined the roster in September 2014. He opened his account with a split decision loss to Cláudio Silva before scoring an eight-second knockout of Seth Baczynski to register his first win in the Octagon. His last loss before embarking on his current streak was to eventual UFC champion Kamaru Usman in a hard-fought unanimous decision loss in Orlando, Florida.

MORE EDWARDS: The Champion Is Taking It All In Stride | Edwards' Career Highlights

Splitting his first four fights stymied any sort of fast-track for Edwards in the welterweight division, and so, at 24 years old, he put his head down and got to work meticulously progressing up the ranks. Edwards’ decision win over Luque aged particularly well, as “The Silent Assassin then went on to win 10 of his next 11 bouts.

The effort was enough for Edwards to finally get the main event assignment he asked for against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, putting “Rocky” on stage with some of UFC’s biggest names at a seasonal press conference. Edwards had finally broken into the Top 15 — now came the task of proving himself as a real championship contender.

Breaking Into The Title Conversation

• Unanimous Decision Win vs Donald Cerrone (6/23/2018)
   
• Split Decision Win vs Gunnar Nelson (3/16/2019)
   
• Unanimous Decision Win vs Rafael dos Anjos (7/20/2019)
   
• No Contest vs Belal Muhammad (3/13/2021)
   
• Unanimous Decision Win vs Nate Diaz (6/12/2021)

Firmly in the Top 15, the next few years were a bit of a journey for Edwards, even as he continued to pile up the victories. He handled the main event spotlight well against Cerrone in Singapore, but he couldn’t quite get over the hump with the MMA fanbase. Fighting at home against Gunnar Nelson, the crowd in the O2 Arena decided to back Nelson over their fellow countryman.

Edwards, meanwhile, received boos during his introduction. The proud Birmingham representative went on to outgrapple and outfight Nelson for three rounds, but Jorge Masvidal stole his thunder twice. First, “Gamebred” silenced the London crowd with his knockout of Darren Till. Then, the infamous backstage scuffle between Masivdal and Edwards went down, leaving Edwards with a cut under his eye while Masvidal parlayed his “3-piece and a soda” into a banner 2019 for himself.

MORE UFC 296: Fight Card Preview | Main Event Breakdown | Covington In His Own Words

Edwards’ following performance over former lightweight champ Rafael Dos Anjos was dominant, although did little to quiet the criticisms labeling Edwards a “boring fighter.” It was enough, however, to earn a headlining spot against former champion Tyron Woodley in London. The fight, hypothetically, was the one to push Edwards over the hump and firmly into a title conversation as Usman continued to define his own legacy at the top of the 170-pound heap. However, the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled that bout, and Edwards would embark on a 20-month journey toward his next bout that included three scrapped fights with Khamzat Chimaev and a severe bout with COVID-19. Edwards finally stepped into the UFC APEX to fight Belal Muhammad, who checked in for Chimaev after the third cancellation. After rocking Muhammad with a familiar head kick, a second-round eye poke prematurely ended the scheduled five-rounder.

Edwards, for all his efforts, remained in a bit of limbo as Usman defended his belt against Masvidal, Gilbert Burns and Covington. Few fights made sense for Edwards, so he bet on himself for a rare five-round non-main event against Nate Diaz at UFC 263. For about 24 minutes, Edwards beat up the fan-favorite, but Diaz rocked Edwards badly in the final minute, although Edwards survived. Once again, Edwards’ big moment was clouded, but he earned the Diaz seal of approval, and with some patience, Edwards finally got his golden opportunity.

“Look At Me Now”

• KO Win vs Kamaru Usman (8/20/2022)
   
• Majority Decision Win vs Kamaru Usman (3/18/2023)

• Unanimous Decision Win vs Colby Covington (12/16/2023)

Edwards’ iconic head kick of Usman is well-documented, but it’s hard to reach hyperbole about the moment. In the building, there was a sense of inevitability as the clock ticked toward a record-tying win for Usman until Edwards fired his left leg to Usman’s temple and changed the landscape of the MMA world.

How To Watch Edwards vs Covington From Your Country

His return to London was a triumphant one. Instead of the boos that rang around the O2 Arena during his last fight there, Edwards was the belle of the ball and the man carrying UK MMA on his back as he turned in an even more impressive performance over five rounds.

The victory pushed his unbeaten streak to 12 while cementing him as the champion. At UFC 296, he was tasked with fighting the man many believe would have held the undisputed champion, had “The Nigerian Nightmare” not existed, in Colby Covington. Edwards proceeded to pitch a shutout, establishing himself as the outright king at 170 pounds.