The newest UFC champion Leon Edwards was given a pep talk by one of the greatest athletes in the world before his fight.
Leon Edwards shocked the world on Saturday night when he knocked out the pound-for-pound king Kamaru Usman. Coming into the bout, Usman was riding a 15 UFC fight winning streak and had not lost since 2013. Edwards was coming into the fight as an underdog but was confident in himself and his skills. He said after the fight that he knew he could do it and accredited the fact that he never gave up on his success. Now that he is the champion he is revealing a little extra motivation he received before his fight.
Leon Edwards received a special message from a three-time Olympian
Before the fight at UFc 278, Edwards was sent a message from 8-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt.
“You have a championship fight tonight and you’re gonna get it done,” Usain Bolt told Leon Edwards over a video call. “We’re supporting you alright, be ready, get it done, let’s go.”
Prior to his fight with Kamaru Usman, Leon Edwards got a message of support from Usain Bolt! 🇯🇲 (via @Leon_edwardsmma, @usainbolt) pic.twitter.com/e2yFUZB7ii
— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) August 23, 2022
In the video, Bolt was shown wishing the new champ luck in his fight and encouraging him to get the job done. ‘Rocky’ resides in England but was born in Jamaica. Bolt is from Jamaica as well and has represented the country several times on the world stage. Edwards proudly represents both Jamaica and England when he steps into the cage. He is now the first Jamaican-born UFC champion ever.
Now that Edwards is at the top of the welterweight division he is at the center of all the callouts. There are several interested parties such as Gilbert Burns, Jorge Masvidal, Colby Covington, and Khamzat Chimaev. However, it seems as if those men will have to wait as the UFC is looking to book the rematch immediately.
Usman has mentioned that he would be willing to take the rematch in England and give Edwards the hometown advantage. There has been a rise in UK MMA in the past year, The UFC visited London twice and Paddy Pimblett, Molly McCann, Tom Aspinall, and now Edwards have risen in fame. This would be a great time to hold a huge PPV card in England.
