HEAVY is the crown; Leon Edwards looked spent, exhausted, and defeated last summer, leaving the Octagon in Manchester considerably lighter than when he arrived after surrendering his UFC welterweight title.

As new champion Belal Muhammad celebrated inside the cage, Edwards cut a forlorn figure as he slipped away into the shadows of the Coop Arena at nearly 6am.

In the eight months since, Edwards has disappeared from the spotlight. He’s retreated to his home, Team Renegade in Birmingham, and refused media access.

So, when he arrived in London earlier this week ahead of his main event with Philadelphia’s Sean Brady at the O2 on Saturday, nobody quite knew what to expect.

But, make no mistake, Edwards looks and sounds both refreshed and reborn.

ROCKY REBORN

The weight of the championship belt has gone. The pressure of maintaining an unbeaten record for almost a decade, removed. And the expectation of family, friends, and fans has also been fulfilled.

The 33-year-old will make the walk in London once more, this time for himself. He has nothing left to prove to anybody but himself.

His rise to the top of the 170 lb division took patience and perseverance. But his slip from the summit, he insists, was down to poor preparation and a back injury.

Not that he’s offering that up as an excuse for losing the belt last summer. He just wants that result and his championship back and is willing to go through whoever whenever to achieve it.

Brady, 32, comes into the fray at just a few weeks notice.

Original opponent Jack Della Maddalena was rescheduled to go straight for the belt against Muhammad in May, which opened the door for the #5-ranked Philly native.

Like so many of Edwards’ recent American opponents, Brady is predominantly a wrestler and is known for his heavy grappling and strong submission game.

His baby daughter was born just four weeks ago; the following day, when driving home from the hospital, is when he took the call to fight in London.

To say he’s had a whirlwind few weeks is something of an understatement.

STRIKER VS GRAPPLER

Brady’s 17-1 record includes eight finishes, three by knockout, but also a 2022 TKO defeat to new champion Belal.

He bounced back with a kimura submission of fan favourite Kelvin Gastelum in 2023, and added a points decision over former title challenger Gilbert Burns last September.

Frustratingly for the American, he does average only one fight per year, largely down to injuries, but he finally gets his shot at the leading contender and former champion on Saturday.

For Edwards (22-4), losing is simply not an option.

It took an insane unbeaten 10-fight run to earn his title opportunity, and losing back-to-back for the first time in his career would see him tumble down the pecking order.

With the next welterweight title fight confirmed for two months time, and unbeaten assassin Shavkat Rakhimov waiting in the wings for his shot, Edwards has to remain in the conversation at 170lb.

Brady sets a pace and can absolutely make this a long, draining night for the former champion.

But a happy, smiling, and fit Leon Edwards is still arguably the best welterweight on the planet – he simply has to prove he’s still got the takedown defence and striking arsenal to make a statement.

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UFC Fight Night London Specials

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