Leon Edwards wants to bring the UFC to Birmingham
- Published
Darren Till brought the UFC to Liverpool in 2018 - and now it could be coming to Birmingham
British welterweight Leon Edwards will return to the octagon this Saturday when he faces MMA veteran Donald Cerrone in Singapore, but he has already set his sights on bringing the UFC to the West Midlands.
The 26-year-old is currently ranked 13 in the UFC welterweight roster, which is considered by many as the most exciting division in the organisation, and Edwards hopes to break into the top 10 with a win over Cerrone.
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Fighting out of Erdington, Birmingham, Edwards is currently on a five-fight win streak in the UFC, with his last win coming at London’s O2 arena in March earlier this year.
Edwards spoke to the BBC before he flew out to Singapore.
“I’ve been working my whole life for this, so now to get the opportunity to fly to Singapore, and take on a legend of the sport like ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone couldn’t be more perfect," he said. "I’m looking forward to going out there and putting this man away.”
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Cerrone is currently ranked 11th in the welterweight division, and lost to Liverpool’s Darren Till when the pair met last year. However, he’s since bounced back with a win in his last fight over Yancy Medeiros.
The 35-year-old American currently boasts an impressive record with 33 wins in professional MMA with 10 losses, although that doesn’t seem to faze Edwards, who is keen on leapfrogging Cerrone in the rankings.
Edwards has twice fought in London, and in Manchester, over the last two years, and now hopes to bring the UFC to Birmingham, should he get a win over Cerrone.
“After beating him I’ll be knocking around in the top 10,” Edwards said. “I want one more fight before the end of the year, and hopefully bring it back to Birmingham. That would be beautiful so that’s my plan.”
Edwards trains at UTC gym in Birmingham along with his brother Fabian Edwards, who fights in BAMMA, and Bellator’s reality star-turned-MMA-fighter Aaron Chalmers.
“We’ve got good fighters here," Edwards added. "We’ve got good martial arts, so I don’t feel like I need to travel anywhere to get the training. I’m just growing the sport, and to be doing it all from my hometown in Birmingham is amazing to me.”
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“Most guys will start off in the city, then they’ll move to America, or to here and there, and I’m doing it all from my home ground. So I feel proud of that, and to be able to inspire the kids in my gym and kids around the area to say that you can do everything from Birmingham, and you don’t need to travel - it means a lot to me.”
Edwards hopes to follow the blueprint that Liverpool’s Darren Till followed, who beat Cerrone in 2017, and then convinced the UFC to host an event in his hometown Liverpool.
The BBC MMA Show spoke to Donald Cerrone about what it’s like to be facing the Brit, and he wasn’t impressed with the insults that Edwards has been throwing at him during the build up.
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“Old and slow?” Cerrone said. "But it’s funny how I have the most finishes in UFC history. I’m forever young - I don’t feel like I’m the old guy in the sport. I feel like I’m still young and hanging in there with everyone else.”
Cerrone has an 'anyone, anywhere' attitude, and is confident that he’ll able to come out on top when he faces Edwards.
“I’m bringing hell and coming to finish him," he said. "The Cowboy’s going to take over and ride off with another victory.”
Light heavyweight contender Ovince Saint Preux will also be fighting before Cerrone and Edwards take centre stage on Saturday, when he fights Tyson Pedro.
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