On his return to the Octagon, the former UFC welterweight champion will look to bounce back from his first loss since 2015.
On March 22, Leon Edwards can make a statement and answers some of the critiques from his defeat at the hands of Belal Muhammad last July.
The main event at the O2 Arena in London sees Edwards take on replacement opponent Sean Brady in a huge fight for the welterweight division.
Having previously held one of the longest unbeaten streaks in UFC history, we will now see how Edwards responds to losing his title as he looks to become a two-time champion.
‘Rocky’ has faced plenty of adversity in the past with a loss on his Octagon debut leading to his most explosive display to date.
Leon Edwards stopped Seth Baczynski in Poland with a laser-like left hand
After arriving in the UFC in 2014 with a record of 8-1 as the former BAMMA welterweight champion, Leon Edwards suffered a split decision loss on his debut.
The Brit took on Claudio Silva in the Brazilian’s home country where over seven minutes of control time helped ‘Hannibal’ secure the victory.
Edwards was back on the road the following April where he faced former The Ultimate Fighter contestant, Seth Baczynski in Krakow, Poland.
A Fight Night event headlined by Mirko Cro Cop vs Gabriel Gonzaga, along with Jimi Manuwa vs Jan Blachowicz, was the stage for his second outing on April 11, 2015.
The American with Polish heritage was coming off of back-to-back losses in fight of the night winning bouts with Thiago Alves and Alan Jouban.
However, on this night, Edwards didn’t give Baczynski the opportunity to bank on his toughness to try and turn it into another dog fight.
It took just 8 seconds for ‘Rocky’ to find a home for his left hand which dropped Baczynski before Edwards landed some follow-up strikes to get the stoppage.
At 23-years-old, Edwards earned his first win, finish and performance bonus but it wasn’t until a loss to Kamaru Usman in 2015 where he would string together his title-winning run.
Whilst the likes of Jorge Masvidal and Duane Ludwig have produced quicker knockouts inside the Octagon, Edwards is tied joint fourth at 8 seconds with James Irvin and Makwan Amirkhani for the fastest finish in UFC history.
Leon Edwards has always been an accurate and sharp striker
There’s no denying that during his time in the UFC, which is now over a decade, Leon Edwards has made significant improvements to his overall skillset.
That being said, it’s always been clear that he’s a sniper-like striker and this continues to be his most effective weapon inside the Octagon.
Having been previously matched with fellow striker Jack Della Maddalena, it’s no secret that the key for ‘Rocky’ against Sean Brady will be to keep the fight standing.
Brady is also very well-rounded meaning that whilst we could see both men mix it up, whoever can keep the fight where they have the edge will get their hand raised.