UFC 286 is right around the corner and fans can’t wait to witness one of the most stacked cards of the year so far. The undisputed welterweight champion Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards looks to repeat history as he faces ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ Kamaru Usman for the third time inside the Octagon. The event will take place at the O2 Arena on March 18th.
During the fight week leading up to the night of the actual event, fans get to experience their favorite fighters on an up close and personal level through media scrums, press conferences, UFC Embedded, interviews, and more. Recently, Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards appeared on ‘GQ Sports’ and he took the viewers on a ride to his past, heritage, favorite food, and more.
Jamaican Patois is an English-based creole language with hints of West African influences in it. It is primarily spoken in Jamaica. Based on the language barrier, Leon got bullied during his school days. To shine light upon this, the 31-year-old shares –
“From moving from Jamaica to the UK is like, can you speak patois? you don’t speak English, you know? so you had a few fights in school, like kids making fun of you, but over time you got used to the lingo and the language.”
He further elaborates, “When I think I came to the UK so young, I learned it fast. I think maybe if I came a little bit later I would have still had a patois trying. When my dad first brought me to the UK, when my dad suddenly got murdered in the UK and I was at the age of 13, and this is what I call home now. and it’s a big Caribbean community in the UK. Caribbean or African, it’s a mixed culture, especially in my city of Birmingham, England. I think that’s why I adapted so fast to it.”
Leon Edwards’ journey from Jamaica to the UK
Like many athletes, Leon had his fair share of rough patches hovering over several parts of his childhood. The Birmingham resident has paid his dues during his rise to being a world champion on the grandest stage of them all. Edwards is currently on an 11-fight winning streak.
Born out of Kingston, Jamaica, Edwards lived with his parents and brother Fabian. At the ripe age of 9, he moved to Birmingham. By the time he was 13, his father got shot and killed in a nightclub. This incident only reinforced more trauma in his life. It pushed him into gang life, fights, robberies and even selling drugs.
Thankfully by the time Leon was 17, his mother was able to get him out of the gang life spiral by making him join an MMA gym. The rest is history. Heading into UFC 278, many overlooked Leon. He then went on to attain the welterweight gold strap with a stunning 5th-round head-kick KO of Kamaru Usman.
Will Leon repeat history in front of his home crowd at UFC 286? or does Kamaru make enough adjustments to take back his gold strap? Let us know in the comments down below.
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