Black History Month: When he won the UFC welterweight title in August, Leon Edwards created history, but the 31-year-old now wants to establish a legacy outside the octagon.
Avenging a decision defeat to the same opponent in 2015, he knocked out Kamaru Usman in the fifth round at UFC 278 to become the first Black British champion in the promotion’s history and the first champion who was also born in Jamaica.
Edwards hopes his career-defining victory would enable him to establish himself as a respected role model in Britain and his country of birth before taking on Usman in a trilogy fight in March of next year.
As the first winner born in Jamaica, Edwards remarked, “It means the world to me. It also means a lot to me.” “Those two books are history on their own.
“God forbid I go into that match and lose, not to Usman, but later on. That remains a part of history.
“Now I want to use my position to assist and inspire other people, as well as to demonstrate that people from disadvantaged backgrounds—including single mothers—can achieve things.
Being the first black British UFC champion and the first Jamaican-born champion means the world to me.
Up until that moment, Edwards had experienced a difficult upbringing, first in Kingston and then after coming to this nation to live in Birmingham at the age of nine. His rise to becoming the UFC champion began when he joined mixed martial arts at the age of 17.
He has been working on a youth mentoring project with the UFC and other fighters Darren Till and Jimi Manuwa because he wants to assist more young people change their lives.
Edwards declared, “I want to go down that road to attempt to uplift my people and those people in general.” “And I’ve already launched charities, and I’ve teamed up with the UFC to launch a foundation that addresses knife offences.
“That’s a love of mine, and I also do a lot of charity work in Jamaica. I’ve lost friends to it from doing the crime and have been killed from the crime.
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“I am unable to ignore the roots. In November, I return to Jamaica in an effort to use mixed martial arts to give back to the neighbourhood where I grew up.
Edwards has no intention of ever forgetting his arduous climb to the top of the UFC food chain.
But more significantly, he wants to encourage people to change for the better.
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