“I think it’s a good match for me and styles make fights. I think the way he competes, the way he fights matches, the way I compete and fight, I think he’s gotten better – his hitting has gotten better – but so have I. I improved my striking, my grappling, my all-around mixed martial arts game.
“I’ve had time to level up, improve, physically and mentally, and now it’s time to go out there and prove everyone wrong,” he added. “They rank it pound for pound (#1), so I want to go in there and starch it.”
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While this weekend is the culmination of a long wait to finally get back together with Usman, it’s also a momentous step on a long and winding journey of a lifetime for Edwards.
“It would mean the world to me, but not just to me – to my family and my team; for what we’ve been through and how far we’ve come, not just in my career but in life,” said Edwards, who was born in Jamaica, immigrated to England with his family and only discovered mixed martial arts. ‘after he began to venture down the same dangerous path his father took before his death when “Rocky” was 13. “I’ve always said that I feel like I’ve lived two different lives – from my birth in Jamaica to my immigration to the UK – and I’m about to fight for the most prestigious title in mixed martial arts, a sport I didn’t know existed until I was 17, 18.
