UFC’s second episode of its Day Off series features UFC welterweight world champion, Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards catching up with Elz the Witch in London, ahead of his upcoming title defence at UFC 304: EDWARDS vs. MUHAMMAD 2 in Manchester, on July 27.
KEY MOMENTS
FASHION
As the reigning UFC welterweight champion, Leon is currently the king of the division in the Octagon, but outside Rocky feels his fashion also outshines the rest. So, naturally, Elz got him to rank the best and worst dressed welterweights the UFC has to offer:
Best dressed
- Conor ‘The Notorious MMA’ McGregor – “I’d give him a 10, the only one who scores the same as me. For a press conference, what he wears is fine.”
- Michael ‘Venom’ Page – “8, he dresses alright.”
- Shavkat Rahkmonov – “I’ll give him a 7 for wearing a suit and trying. The suit doesn’t look tailored.”
Worst dressed
- Colby ‘Chaos’ Covington – “I’m not sure what he’s even meant to be, dressed up as some old time American. What he’s wearing, and that hat as well… 1 but if I could score him a 0, I’d give him a 0. It’s even worse than Belal. I couldn’t let him dress like that and beat me. After he’d worn that, he’d already lost.”
- Belal ‘Remember the Name’ Muhammad – “1 out of 10. Look at the blazer, doesn’t match the shoes. There’s too much going on. Does he have stylists? No, he’s picked that out himself.”
- Kamaru ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ Usman – [On his leopard print suit] “I would never wear it, nah, it’s not for me. I’d give it a 5.”
BELAL MUHAMMAD
Ending in unfortunate circumstances, Leon Edwards’ first bout with Belal Muhammad finished in a no-contest. Speaking on this upcoming rematch, Leon tells Elz about how he will deal with all aspects of preparation and the bout itself:
Dealing with a Muhammad’s pre bout comments
“I think he’s deluded – everyone on social media knows he’s deluded. He acts like the first fight never happened. I was dominating him every round until the eyepoke happened. I just don’t know where he’s getting his confidence from.”
Utilising his new skillset
“Look, he has improved but so have I. My aim is to finish, he’s talked a lot, so let’s see if he can back it up. He hasn’t had the hardest route to the title, I’m in the prime of my career. Compared to his other opponents we are two different animals. My confidence and my belief in myself and my team and what I can do is cemented in my soul.”
Finishing this feud, once and for all
“I’m going to go for the finish. I’m going to show him all my skills and what I can do. I rate him 1 out of 10, not just his style, but also his performance and way that he fights.”
JAMAICAN FOOD & LIFE BEYOND THE OCTAGON
Sitting down for lunch with Elz at Jamaican restaurant Joyce’s Jerk Joint, Leon walks us through some of his favourite Jamaican cuisine, his heritage, family and what his plans are for the rest of his UFC career:
Favourite Jamaican dishes
“Curried goat is banging, it’s one of my favourites. Oxtail is also good, and ackee and saltfish. Crispy mac and cheese? Oh, it’s good, it’s VERY good.”
Running a Jamaican restaurant with his mum
“It’s great to make my mum’s dream a reality.”
Representing Jamaica and his charity work there
“I still take great pride in being Jamaican, and I still have family there. I’ve set up a charity that helps provide support to single mums. I’m going back for my birthday in August. It’s post-fight so I can eat all the Jamaican food I want!”
Birmingham and Goal for the rest of his UFC career and beyond
“I’d love to open a mixed martial arts facility in Birmingham. Give back to the youth who went down the wrong path like myself,, that’s my next plan within the next year or two. I’ve got a lot of projects going on the background now, which will set me up to do what I want [once he has stopped competing]. I want to keep fighting until I’m 37. I want to go down as one of the greatest of all time.”
DID YOU KNOW:
- Eight years undefeated – The champ hasn’t lost a bout since 2015 when Kamaru Usman defeated him by unanimous decision. Since then, Leon avenged that defeat twice, winning the belt off Usman and then retaining it in London. In this nine-year span, he has won 12 fights and had one no contest, against Belal Muhammad, which he hopes to set the record straight on in July.
- Edwards opened a restaurant with his mum – His mum always dreamed of opening a restaurant and Leon made her dreams come true, as they opened Caribbean themed restaurant called Sweet’s Kitchen. He said business is going well and he regularly frequents when he’s not in camp.
- The champ is an ambassador for national youth charity OnSide – Leon is the Wolverhampton ambassador and before his title defence against Kamaru Usman, ran a coaching session with participants. Through this program he hopes to motivate children to stay away from violence in the streets and put their energy into something positive.
