UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards discussed how his life has changed since becoming the champion and what it’s like to …
obviously only a few days away from a massive pay-per-view built around you a lot of people credit you know you winning the title for the UK finally getting a pay-per-view once again so now that we are in fight week camps behind you what are the emotions now just a few days away um just excited you know this is my first um Main Event in the UK and to be able to come back um headline it defend him about against comoro Guzman and it’s gonna be a great night you know if the UK is excited I’m excited and it’s gonna be good how has life changed for you and the camp and your family oh and the team sent you on the title in Salt Lake um it’s changed gradually you know because I’ve been winning now for a long time I’ve lost so far in eight years and but as far as obviously more people noticing you um more red carpets you’ve heard carpet moments financially has changed and yeah but apart from that it’s got the same people around me same team around me um still trading in the UK and so yeah it’s all good and how has Camp been not having to worry about the altitude of Salt Lake because we’ve talked to a few of the UK Fighters here and they said they think the altitude played a much bigger Factor than people are giving credit to yeah 100 I feel um you can see from an example I came asking for what very Doom was it attitude and he was known as cardio came you know and then he he tired after like around or two and something out too therefore played a part in my performance so I just couldn’t get my body to to move do we wanted to move around one started off great then after that it just kind of went and shut down you know and um I know come over trying to he’s using that as a way to oh yeah he was you’re tired in the fight and you’re knocked out and that’s it you know so in the day they saw them as is there any fear that Camaro might not be ready to fight on this card and you would have to fight someone else like a different contender um there was like I think Wonderboy came out and said something about him not fine and wouldn’t want to send that news I wouldn’t support the usc’d be like now he’s 100 he’s in training fight to prepare for March you know so after that I was like locked into tomorrow for sure what do you make of Camaro like he’s done a lot of media this this week specifically saying like you know he was winning that whole fight he he still doesn’t see anything that you present that shows you’re the better fighter outside of like you know kicking him in the head oh God um I think if you get knocked out of that Estee find something right he he needs to build a confidence back up because going into it E4 it could never be taken down he could never even be hurt or knocked out and um so I think he has to find something to Collective and that’s what that’s a he was winning the fight but he cares like I said it goes down as you getting out cold headshot you know and that’s all that matters and um when it’s all said and done winners win you know and even even in my worst day my worst performance I’ll still knock you out so winners win like I say so going off of that does it bother you that he’s above you still in the pound for pound rankings um no I don’t really follow the rankings the stats so it is what it is you know like um I’ve been underdogging some fights I’ve been in favor since some fights and either way I won you know over lots of fighting eight years and either it is so then my last question is what is the headline read how do you see this fight playing out the trilogy fight against kamaru Usman um just make it into a mixed martial arts like you know um being back home using the crowd energy to spam me on and um just go out there and just show out show off and that’s that’s my aim this fight and I’ll just show my abilities and um and just perform to the best of my abilities you know when like I said I’ve um never lost in the UK I always draw the energies from being around my friends my family um and filming a great performance now Leon over here right in front of you sorry uh a lot of his strategy in the last fight was a lot of wrestling uh but you guys did stand a little bit what did you make of the Striking because obviously he had knocked out a lot of guys so based off of your striking exchanges what did you think of his striking um it was it was all right it was good you know um like you does every fire every boxing heavy front forward pressure um heavy wrestling you know I think his game plan is pretty similar in every fight he fights you know and but like I said even worse day he just kind of looks like even though I was tired they couldn’t hurt me you know I I wouldn’t hurt really it’s more of a fatigue issue um you just start wailing on my gloves and just I was like catching it all in my gloves you know and um but like I said even my my words there defeated him but like I said he’s improved um from well first thought um whatsoever you know and in the first round you were able to get him down and take his back so you look at that and say why don’t I wrestle some more or obviously you had that amazing knockout so uh you think you should keep on the feed no I’ll make into Mixed Martial site you know um I will try and go for take down I will be attacking some missions and also try to knock him out you know and I know I can do all these things I’ve done it in the last fight and so I’ll do more of that sorry one last one and speaking of the out to were you watching that co-main event between Costa and Rocky because they were exhausted and were you thinking oh no yeah oh they got me I was watching it um I turned loot before I know how fit Luke is you know and um I know he was in shape and when I was backstage warming up and I was like watching it on on the screen um hands on his knees and just showing like fatigue and I thought oh God like he’s gonna play a part you know and and that he did you know it did play a part but like I said that’s all behind me now and I’ve wiped up wiped it enjoyed it when it happened to knock out but now it will run to um a new chapter you know I feel true to believe this is my time and I’ll show that Saturday night thank you Leon just over here go first round being able to take him down does that give you infinix going into this one um I want to say added confidence come out of all the confident Mobility but just give me confirmation you know that uh I can take him down you know and want to hit the mat I’m On Top he hasn’t got much to offer for the defense defense wise everyone’s good on it when they’re on top of you pause [Laughter] um well when someone talk like you see like I talked about like that you know there’s no resistance for me taking his back and um so yeah there’s like I said confirmation I can use in going into the into the the third fight and I will you know you know even khabib has said in the past you know after that knockout that he wasn’t sure you know if like that if you’ll ever be the same again what do you believe do you think he’s going to come in and approach this fight any differently um who knows who knows that’s the question right um let’s like he’s 36 years old um been in many tough fights um before he can never be beaten um and then to be sparked like that that does have a a mental thing on you know I always pretend like he doesn’t care and he’s happy he got knocked out because the preciousness tramping is too hard and I’m happy I got knocked out but but for me it doesn’t make no sense you know and so we’re so Saturday night whether or not it makes a difference but you best believe I’ll be trying to knock him out again and you know you’ve had such a such a journey not only in your fight career but your personal life as well we could see how much winning that title meant to you in in your emotion in the cage what was that moment like how surreal was that at the time um not just meant to me just mean to my team mean to my family you know and um to be able to set out a goal um when you’re 17 years old and finally achieving it doubted and all everyone doubted you everyone said they can’t do it like being in Birmingham we wouldn’t know what toll and you would your belief and your hard work achieving this goal is like I think it showed right the speech after the the crowd to my mom on the phone after and I think it all came out then you know and um so yeah like I said it’s all just confirmation that my belief is in myself and my team and what I’m doing is writing that’s all it was you know and how are you anticipating making that first Walkers champion at the O2 Arena on Saturday it’s going to be wild it’s going to be wild now I can um I well I enjoy I enjoy fighting at home you know and um from amateur to now like I’ve never lost a fight in the in the UK and because I like being around my family I like being around my friends and that’s where I draw my energy from you know and um so yeah it’s gonna be a crazy night the fans keep the same they’re excited for it and so am I you know thanks and coming in here as a champion is obviously an enormous an enormous thing for you but there’s a little bit extra on top of that because you’re a properly homegrown UK Champion you’ve done all your training here yeah in the UK how much extra does that put on your achievement um I think it plays a big a lot you know it plays a big part in it because it’s not just to me sort of the gyms that’s coming behind me you know the guy who does 17 like when I was 17 can look towards me and be like look like he did it he lived in Birmingham and they won the title you know and um like congrats the best thing I know you’re the first person to do it um so I can I kind of never shadow that but I think it hits different when you can look at somebody in from the same region as you in the same in the same similar situations as you dance went out and did something you know and so I think it is it’s big for for the whole UK you know and how much of an impact do you hope to make in your your community now you’ve got that stage as being a world champion in the UFC um just giving back you know um helping out where I can and I’ll start a charity already um to give back to to um youth from similar background as me that’s been involved in gangs and getting into trouble and um with a single parents and stuff like that you know and I’ve already started that already because that’s been a passion of mine from the get-go and so to be able to do that um it’s a pleasure for sure last one from me just going back to the fight itself and the fight with kamaru the second fight the uh the championship winning fight the altitude playing the uh the fact that it was what is a sea level Leon Edwards look like on Fight Night on Saturday um my plan is to just go out there like I said and just show out show off and just enjoy the moment you know and I feel this has been my the best performance of my career I truly believe it and I said tonight I’ll go ahead and show that if you’re judging me off that performance I’m thinking oh yeah yeah he had me broken and stuff like that um he’s gonna be in for a shark Saturday night you know Leon down here to your left uh the last time you went face to face with Usman at press conference he was uh he had a lot of swagger to him what you expect his demeanor to be like this time after you flight line them um I don’t know I don’t know you know like let’s see like I said um the last five in press conference oh yeah what you can do to beat me as I will knock you out you know and he’s like okay we’ll see and that that’s what I did so um let’s see how it comes out like so I’m not banking my my game plan my training schedule and whether or not then The Knockout effective you know and um but we’ll see if he cares do you think he’s going to be dressed like Terry Crews again [Laughter] they were dressing all weird and all funky but um isn’t it I heard it like flew like a stylus over and stuff and as I was saying like our mentality is in two different places you know I feel like he’s he’s on his way out you know and um I was gonna open a door for him and let give him give him another path to follow his his fashion dreams and follow his wherever he wants to go you know I didn’t mean to make a joke there bro final question from me three years ago you were meant to be here headlining against Tyron Woodley now the week is finally here I mean what does it mean to you to find the beer and obviously be here as Champion nonetheless um yeah like I said three years ago this has been to be you know without this you know and at a time remember I was upset I wasn’t so frustrated it was that I did a whole camping and because um the pandemic the father got canceled on a Sunday before the matching um so now to be here three years on now the world champion um it feels amazing you know and like I said I’m excited I’m excited for it and it’s the opportunity that I can’t let go twice you know on a mountain yeah it’s gonna be good like I said I’m excited my team is excited and it’s gonna be a good evening for the UK appreciate it bro Leonard over here just in the same place cheers oh the pressure on you I mean in that first fight a lot of people wrote you off and even the commentators did during the fight the pressure on you now is different and everyone in that arena is there to see you and to see you defend the belt how does that feel when you’re going into the fight night good for me a lot a lot of depression like I said I I enjoy that pressure you know I put it on myself as well as my team you know because I know how good I am and what I can do you know and um I always draw for me it’s not more about the Uranus more about my family my friends um the people that’s close to me that’s going to be there into to see me perform you know because I’m fought in the UK for like four years so now to be able to come back um as a champion defend my back from in front of them um that will give me added motivation I was saying I did energy you know and just finally I’m you were the chasers for so long in this division chasing that title and you’re finally getting that shot and obviously you made the most of it how’s this Camp been knowing you’re the one that’s being chased now you’re the top division everyone wants to fight you um it feels good it feels good to know because like one for my patch where everybody was avoiding me they didn’t want to fight me you know but now I I I took the hard route to get to where I want to get to and I achieved my goal and so it felt good um to say that when you become Champion you you come 30 better and I truly felt that I felt like I I became better physically and mentally you know Leon uh a couple of months ago Bilal Mohammed said that he wants a title shot and you called him a bum and said he wouldn’t be getting one I’m curious when you look like you say you’ve been on Saturday you’ve got Mazda versus Gilbert obviously that’s a fight You’ve Won in for ages what does Bilal have to do to get a title shot or is he just kind of at the back of the back of the list um I just gotta fight like I did you know like when I wanted to fight for it so you go do I did you know go fight someone else and um one day you probably get there you know is there a chance you’ll go to Miami if you win a certainly to be occasionally to watch that one I might do I might do I heard this whatever is nice over there in the woman so I’ll pop boy Leon statue left down to your left you kind of mentioned there about sending Usman to the fashion route do you think another win against him would actually retire him um who knows you know it’s about saying just from these mentality and the way he’s moving and um I think he’s already got one something’s out the door already you know and just often add to that and whoever retires after or not that’s up to him you know now that you won the championship and achieved your life a lifelong dream um what drives you to continue improving and winning um I I feel I want to go down as one of the best parts way to do it you know and I I believe I can um my goal was first was to achieve this goal when I was 17 years old and um I did that now of of such my goal now to go down as best of all time you know and why not you know I’m lost in so long I’ve won so many fights and I’ll just keep um keep plowing on and also get that money up as well you know I want to be able to to change my family’s um life you know and leave it in a better situation that I came into it you know and that’s my goal right now is to leave my family in a safer more Financial Freedom then I came into it you know your first fight with the uzman ended by decision the second one by knockout do you see a submission happening this time could do it could do like I said once in the map much to offer you know um so you could do but like I said it’s gonna be a mixed martial arts right and it’s gonna be it’s gonna be entertaining for sure thank you good luck Leon um can you I can I ask what what is becoming the champ enabled you to do in your personal life that you’re most been most proud of recently um for me just probably open the restaurant for my mom opened a caravan takeaway because remember when I was young she kept saying that um me and my brother um helped to do it and um I was a member of saying that she wanted to own or take away one day you know and so to be able to do that straight away that was my only Splash you might say that I’ve done since being a champion you know and um so yeah that’s probably my number one thing you know and in terms of uh obviously you’re going to be really focused on Usman at the moment but someone’s mentioned Miami UFC 287 do you think you’ll be sort of rooting for for mazdao to win his fight in order so that you could defend against him what happened at the O2 a few years ago from the wrong word but if it wins it wins right it’d be good for for me good for the fans good for the company and also get to to smack his head off as well so is the if your wings is good but he’s got tough fight and then it’s against against um Gilbert and we’ll see thanks mate a little just how surreal does it feel driving through erdington and seeing Billboards of yourself with the the title around you your arm or your waist and seeing your rules in the this city obviously with the title how surreal does that feel still is this a real moment you know and to be like I said to see murals in Edison where I grew up in I’ve done many many things on the same street so that also to be able to draw past every day um see it see how much the the say um embrace me and what I’ve done a lot of I was proud of me to see not just Birmingham but the UK um it’s a honor for me I’m happy I am humbled by and yeah he’s sick for sure thank you one more in front how many kids run up to you in the L headshot dead loads and I’ve lost count you know like that’s not the the saying of the year you’re like powerful headshot dead you know and um everyone is motorcycle emotions um but that’s basically what it was it was a part of a pound you got head shot and he was out it was it weird when like young kids come up to you and say that no no it’s not weird it’s perfect oh no it was good for sure foreign