Leon Edwards Record: 22-6-0

Building the streak

From there Edwards quietly assembled one of the longest unbeaten runs in welterweight history. He decisioned Dominic Waters in 2016 and submitted Albert Tumenov by rear-naked choke at UFC 204, then strung together wins over Vicente Luque and Bryan Barberena in 2017. A 2018 TKO of Peter Sobotta and a five-round decision over veteran Donald Cerrone pushed him into contention, and he closed the decade by outpointing Gunnar Nelson and former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in 2019. A 2021 bout with Belal Muhammad ended in a no-contest after an accidental eye poke, but he answered with a statement decision over Nate Diaz at UFC 263 to lock down a title shot.

Championship reign

Edwards' defining night came at UFC 278 in August 2022, when he avenged his earlier loss to Kamaru Usman with one of the most dramatic finishes in UFC history – a fifth-round head-kick knockout that snatched the welterweight title with under a minute to spare. He defended the belt twice, beating Usman again by majority decision in the trilogy bout at UFC 286 in 2023, then turning back Colby Covington over five rounds at UFC 296. His reign ended in July 2024 at UFC 304, where Belal Muhammad outworked him over five rounds to take the title by unanimous decision. Edwards has since absorbed back-to-back setbacks, a submission loss to Sean Brady in 2025 and a knockout loss to Carlos Prates at UFC 322.

Fighting style

Edwards is a precise, counter-oriented southpaw who blends crisp kickboxing with underrated grappling and championship-level cardio. His record reflects a measured fighter – 12 of his 22 wins have come by decision – but he carries real finishing power, with seven knockouts and three submissions to his name. At his best he uses range, feints and a heavy lead kick to control distance, mixing in takedowns to keep opponents guessing. The flip side of that patience is that he can drift into close rounds, and his recent losses have exposed vulnerability when pressured by elite grappling and explosive power.

Career highlights

• UFC Welterweight Champion — knocked out Kamaru Usman with a last-minute head kick at UFC 278 to win the title and author one of the sport's greatest comebacks.
• Successful title defenses — defended the belt against Usman in their trilogy at UFC 286 and against Colby Covington at UFC 296.
• Elite unbeaten run — went undefeated for roughly a decade between his 2015 loss to Usman and his title-losing bout, one of the longest streaks in welterweight history.