Leon Edwards admits that doubt started to creep in at UFC 278 against Kamaru Usman, but added his coaches helped keep him in the fight to score his comeback knockout.
This past Saturday, Edwards won the welterweight championship with a stunning fifth-round knockout of Usman in the main event of UFC 278. With less than a minute remaining in the fight’s duration, Edwards pulled off a left-head kick to knock out Usman. But for as good as the comeback was, “Rocky” believes the elevation in Salt Lake City may have prevented an even better performance.
“In the back of my mind I thought, ‘Why is everyone getting tired?’ I was watching it thinking I won’t get tired because I’ve been here for two weeks, I slept in altitude at home – I probably won’t feel it,” Edwards said on The MMA Hour when asked how he felt warming up beforehand. So I watched it backstage and thought, “S ***, Why is everyone getting tired?” When Edwards was asked how he felt warming up before the match, his body shut down. It was a strange feeling. My body wasn’t responding, so it wasn’t cardio. My mind could tell me what to do but the body wasn’t responding. …
“My 10 fights I had to get to this point to fight for the championship, I never looked like that in a fight, ever. Even when I was fighting, I was looking ahead like, ‘Man, what the hell is going on? Just keep pushing. I know he’s crafty and the body is feeling it, but just keep working and stay focused. The fight is never over once it’s over’. I kept going and won the clean head kick. …
” If my body had reacted the same way in round one, it would have been a completely different fight. The first round I felt normal. After that I felt normal. Then my body shut down. If I would have felt the way I did in the first round, it would have been a totally different fight.”
UFC 278. was not the only one who experienced the benefits of elevation. Many fighters at the event appeared tired early on in their fights. This was most evident in the co-mainweight fight between Paulo Costa (middleweight) and Luke Rockhold (middleweight), in which Rockhold repeatedly sat down while the fight was going on. Although Edwards did not appear to have any issues, his commentary team commented that Rocky looked defeated mentally before he made the return. Even Edwards admits he was starting to think this might be just the latest in a career full of setbacks.
“I was getting worried, for sure – 100 percent,” Edwards said. Edwards said, “The moment was huge for me and it’s only my luck that this will happen. It was a moment that I felt like it was my time. This is what God has brought to my attention to help me make it happen. That’s what kept playing in my head, there’s no way God brought me here for this just to go to decision and finish like this. I had to just stay focused and listen to my team. They were great motivators. They knew how to press my buttons, and they kept me in there and got the finish.”
Edwards’ cornering has been legendary. sparking their fighter towards his amazing comeback , telling Edwards “stop feeling sorry for yourself” and to “pull this fire out of the flame.”
“It’s been like that before but not that intense,” Edwards said. It’s happened before with training or other things. … I didn’t feel sorry for myself. It was hard to describe what I felt. It wasn’t that I felt sorry for myself. I thought, “There’s no way it’s playing out this way.” Based on his words, I believe he knew my facial expression. ‘Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Keep trying, mate. You are more than worthy to be here. This guy is tough to beat. You can do it, so just go out there and do it.’ So that’s what I did. …
“This is one of the worst performances I have ever had in my professional career. It’s difficult to describe how it feels mentally to have the worst performance at my biggest moment in my life. This is what the f ***. feels like. You’re not being serious. How is this playing out like this. Although it was hard to endure, it was what it was. This was Usman at his best, but that was also my worst, and I still didn’t manage to finish him. He was finished on my worst day .”
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Edwards became the undisputed champion at welterweight, but it was a miracle. “Rocky,” who had to overcome so many obstacles and setbacks in his quest for success, says that it is still happening for him.
” Everybody keeps asking me how it feels, but it’s difficult to explain,” Rocky stated. It’s difficult to remember the moments of UFC winning, or my dreams, and the struggles I’ve had throughout my life. It’s still difficult to put into words. This still seems surreal. Sometimes it doesn’t seem real. …
” I have never once cried out of happiness in my entire life, even when you look at movies. When I cry from joy, it’s when you can tell that the moment is real. This was a moment that was so surreal, one I’ll treasure for the rest of my life. It’s amazing to think that I did not know Utah existed, but it is a part of my life. It’s an amazing story.”
