UFC champ Edwards wants to leave legacy outside octagon

Leon Edwards made history in August when he clinched the UFC welterweight title, but now the 31-year-old wants to leave a legacy outside the octagon.

His fifth-round knock-out of Kamaru Usman – avenging a decision loss to the same opponent in 2015 – at UFC 278 saw him become the first Black British champion in the organisation’s history and the first Jamaica-born champion too.

Edwards, who is due to face Usman in a trilogy fight in March next year, hopes his career-defining win will allow him to become an influential role model in Britain and the nation of his birth.

“It means the world to me – and I’m also the first Jamaican-born champion, it means a lot to me as well,” Edwards said. “Those two titles alone are history.

“God forbid I go out there and lose – not to Usman – down the line somewhere. That’s still written in history.