UFC welterweight Leon Edwards has an inspiring story of becoming champion. As a Jamaican immigrant in the UK, he battled a lot of adversity to get to the top of the MMA world. However, one thing Edwards has constantly credited as his motivation is his family.
As a child in Kingston, Edwards, out of necessity, shared a one-room house with his brother and parents. Leon’s mom and dad separated briefly when he was 6 after his father moved to the UK. However, weary of the constant toxicity plaguing them in Kingston, his mother decided to reunite the family in the UK when Leon was 9.
“I told you mom. I told you I’d do it.” 😭
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) August 21, 2022
Leon Edwards calling his mum after he became UFC champion ❤️ pic.twitter.com/h8Dd9hluEz
Leon is very close with his mum and this culminated in an emotional backstage moment at UFC 278. The newly crowned champ video called her in tears of joy, to tell her the news of his coronation as champ. Getting “Rocky” to join an MMA gym when he was 17 to stop him from going down the same path as his father, means Leon’s mother is partially responsible for his wildly successful career in the UFC so far.
As mentioned before, Leon Edwards did not have an easy go of things during his upbringing. Growing up, Leon’s father was involved in a number of “questionable activities”. And when Leon was only 13, his father was shot and killed in a London nightclub. After this, Leon and his brother, Fabian, started getting involved in criminal activity, influenced by their peer group.
However, both Leon and Fabian were able to escape the toxic circle with the MMA gym their mother got them to join. And now like his brother Leon, Fabian is also a professional mixed martial artist. Fabian Edwards (11-2) now competes as a middleweight in Bellator MMA. His last fight was a unanimous decision victory over Charlie Ward.
Leon Edwards – wife and children
Leon Edwards, as of 2023, is not married. In fact, details about Edwards’ dating life are scarce. Although, he does have a son, Jayon Edwards, who is 6. However, details about who Jayon’s mother is and her whereabouts are not currently available. Leon usually shields his dating life from the public eye in order to give his significant other some privacy.
Edwards has promised to give his son the life he never had but always wanted. Learning from the strife and adversity he faced, he wants his son to live a life that is comfortable. Since his time as a rowdy teenager on the streets of the UK, Leon Edwards certainly has matured and grown a lot. And after his win at UFC 278, he proved that the movie “Rocky” isn’t entirely fictional.
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