Leon Edwards
Skill profile
138 MMA anchors Striking, Wrestling, Grappling · his tags and claims adjust Accuracy, Striking D, Durability, TD Defense, Control.
Career rates — the raw numbers behind the chart
Insider info
vs Carlos Prates lean UFC 322 · November 11, 2025
Sides with Prates as the more powerful, damage-dealing striker, but concedes Edwards has 'a lot of success' if he gets him against the cage and calls it 'a competitive fight,' not a one-sided one.
A solid striker built around counter work, which the analyst says carries the usual red flags of low volume and backing up -- both named as real issues for him -- while still crediting real skill: circling off into a check hook, a reliable counter one-two, and an elbow off a collar tie as someone comes forward, plus clean combinations that blend his hands and kicks (the famous Kamaru Usman head-kick knockout cited as a past highlight, not a roster collision). He is, in the analyst's words, a good grappler despite being a striker first: a single-leg entry he converts into pinning an opponent against the fence in a near-takedown position, from where he traps an arm and starts unanswered ground strikes, plus a half-back position he uses to threaten the back take and land shots without fully committing.
vs Sean Brady clear UFC Fight Night Edwards vs Brady Full Card Analysis, Prediction & Breakdown · March 16, 2025 · 1 read since
He commits at length: 'I've got to ride with the grappler,' projecting Brady controls at least three, possibly five, rounds on top.
As of 2025-03-16, not his newest read. A solid, accurate counter-striker who mixes combinations and kicks well and lands a strong clinch game trapping arms for elbows. His named weakness is a willingness to back up, which the analyst says exposes him to being taken down against the cage, as happened in his most recent loss.
vs Belal Muhammad clear UFC 304: Edwards vs. Muhammad 2 · July 23, 2024 · 2 reads since
states it plainly and repeats it ('I've got to take Belal Muhammad... remember the name folks... he's getting it done'), built on a stated mechanism (pace/volume/cardio over Edwards's low output); a disclosed fan-bias aside ('a lot of people hate the guy, I don't') does not itself hedge the pick, and the only softening is that he expects a competitive, back-and-forth fight.
An accurate striker who favors reacting off an opponent rather than initiating, built around a specific set of looks (pulling into a one-two, or tying up the collar to set up an elbow) and a versatile clinch game that mixes tie-up and wrestling-style control into damaging elbows. The acknowledged problem is low output: this read expects he can be out-volumed here, winning exchanges but losing the clock.
vs Colby Covington lean UFC 296 Full Card Breakdown, Prediction, & Analysis · December 12, 2023 · 3 reads since
concedes a finish is possible
Our paraphrase: Edwards fights a patient, picked-shot game built on real precision and good counters -- a hook off the circle-out, a pull-counter one-two, and a collar-tie-to-elbow the analyst singles out as the one most likely to land here -- plus good wrestling of his own built around a single-leg into a half-back control spot where he lands elbows. His height/reach edge is framed as letting him land before Covington closes distance. The analyst sees the two fighters as near-mirror answers to each other's main weapons.
vs Kamaru Usman coinflip UFC 286 Full Card Breakdown, Analysis, And Prediction · March 14, 2023 · 4 reads since
leaning Usman, may change
This chapter is an explicit referral stub: the analyst says he has a separate, full-length breakdown video for this main event and only gives the quick layout here. The only substantive claim made in this chapter's own speech is that Edwards clearly has the striking advantage in the matchup.
Striking trend
Fight history
L Carlos Prates 22-7 walk-in KO/TKO · R2 1:28 — UFC 322: Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev · November 15, 2025
L Sean Brady 17-1 walk-in Submission · R4 1:39 — UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Brady · March 22, 2025
L Belal Muhammad 23-3 walk-in TITLE Decision - Unanimous · R5 5:00 — UFC 304: Edwards vs. Muhammad 2 · July 27, 2024
W Colby Covington 17-3 walk-in TITLE Decision - Unanimous · R5 5:00 — UFC 296: Edwards vs. Covington · December 16, 2023
W Kamaru Usman 20-2 walk-in TITLE Decision - Majority · R5 5:00 — UFC 286: Edwards vs. Usman 3 · March 18, 2023
W Kamaru Usman 20-1 walk-in TITLE KO/TKO · R5 4:04 — UFC 278: Usman vs. Edwards · August 20, 2022
W Nate Diaz 20-12 walk-in Decision - Unanimous · R5 5:00 — UFC 263: Adesanya vs. Vettori 2 · June 12, 2021
NC Belal Muhammad 18-3 walk-in Could Not Continue · R2 0:18 — UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad · March 13, 2021
W Rafael Dos Anjos 28-11 walk-in Decision - Unanimous · R5 5:00 — UFC Fight Night: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards · July 20, 2019
W Gunnar Nelson 17-3-1 walk-in Decision - Split · R3 5:00 — UFC Fight Night: Till vs. Masvidal · March 16, 2019
W Donald Cerrone 33-10 walk-in Decision - Unanimous · R5 5:00 — UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Edwards · June 23, 2018
W Peter Sobotta 17-5-1 walk-in KO/TKO · R3 4:59 — UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Volkov · March 17, 2018
W Bryan Barberena 13-4 walk-in Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00 — UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Struve · September 2, 2017
W Vicente Luque 11-5-1 walk-in Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00 — UFC Fight Night: Manuwa vs. Anderson · March 18, 2017
W Albert Tumenov 15-4 walk-in Submission · R3 3:01 — UFC 204: Bisping vs. Henderson · October 8, 2016
W Dominic Waters 0-2 walk-in Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00 — UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs Arlovski · May 8, 2016
L Kamaru Usman 6-1 walk-in Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00 — UFC on FOX: Dos Anjos vs. Cowboy 2 · December 19, 2015
W Pawel Pawlak 11-1 walk-in Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00 — UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs Leites · July 18, 2015
W Seth Baczynski 19-12 walk-in KO/TKO · R1 0:08 — UFC Fight Night: Gonzaga vs Cro Cop 2 · April 11, 2015
L Claudio Silva 10-1 walk-in Decision - Split · R3 5:00 — UFC Fight Night 56: Shogun vs Saint Preux · November 8, 2014
Walk-in records count UFC bouts in this database. For the pre-UFC career, see the record breakdown below or the Tapology button up top.
Record breakdown
Wins by method
Losses by method
No contests: 1
Fights by organization
Full career — 29 fights, every organization
| Opponent | Method | Event | Org | Rd | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L | Carlos Prates | KO (punches) | UFC 322
November 15, 2025 |
UFC | 2 | 1:28 |
| L | Sean Brady | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Brady
March 22, 2025 |
UFC | 4 | 1:39 |
| L | Belal Muhammad | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 304
July 27, 2024 |
UFC | 5 | 5:00 |
| W | Colby Covington | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 296
December 16, 2023 |
UFC | 5 | 5:00 |
| W | Kamaru Usman | Decision (majority) | UFC 286
March 18, 2023 |
UFC | 5 | 5:00 |
| W | Kamaru Usman | KO (head kick) | UFC 278
August 20, 2022 |
UFC | 5 | 4:04 |
| W | Nate Diaz | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 263
June 12, 2021 |
UFC | 5 | 5:00 |
| NC | Belal Muhammad | NC (accidental eye poke) | UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad
March 13, 2021 |
UFC | 2 | 0:18 |
| W | Rafael dos Anjos | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: dos Anjos vs. Edwards
July 20, 2019 |
UFC | 5 | 5:00 |
| W | Gunnar Nelson | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Till vs. Masvidal
March 16, 2019 |
UFC | 3 | 5:00 |
| W | Donald Cerrone | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Edwards
June 23, 2018 |
UFC | 5 | 5:00 |
| W | Peter Sobotta | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Volkov
March 17, 2018 |
UFC | 3 | 4:59 |
| W | Bryan Barberena | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Struve
September 2, 2017 |
UFC | 3 | 5:00 |
| W | Vicente Luque | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Manuwa vs. Anderson
March 18, 2017 |
UFC | 3 | 5:00 |
| W | Albert Tumenov | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 204
October 8, 2016 |
UFC | 3 | 3:01 |
| W | Dominic Waters | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Arlovski
May 8, 2016 |
UFC | 3 | 5:00 |
| L | Kamaru Usman | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on Fox: dos Anjos vs. Cowboy 2
December 19, 2015 |
UFC | 3 | 5:00 |
| W | Paweł Pawlak | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Leites
July 18, 2015 |
UFC | 3 | 5:00 |
| W | Seth Baczynski | KO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Gonzaga vs. Cro Cop 2
April 11, 2015 |
UFC | 1 | 0:08 |
| L | Cláudio Silva | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Saint Preux
November 8, 2014 |
UFC | 3 | 5:00 |
| W | Shaun Taylor | KO (punch) | BAMMA 16
September 13, 2014 |
BAMMA | 3 | 3:30 |
| W | Wayne Murrie | Submission (rear-naked choke) | BAMMA 15
May 5, 2014 |
BAMMA | 3 | 3:13 |
| W | Wendle Lewis | KO (punches) | BAMMA 14
December 14, 2013 |
BAMMA | 1 | 1:20 |
| W | Adam Boussif | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | BAMMA 13
September 13, 2013 |
BAMMA | 1 | 2:10 |
| W | Jonathan Bilton | TKO (knees) | BAMMA 11
December 1, 2012 |
BAMMA | 2 | 1:11 |
| W | Craig White | Technical Decision | Strength and Honour 14
November 3, 2012 |
Strength and Honour | 2 | 5:00 |
| L | Delroy McDowell | DQ (illegal knee) | Fight UK MMA 6
February 25, 2012 |
Fight UK MMA | 3 | 2:40 |
| W | Pawel Zwiefka | Decision (unanimous) | Fight UK MMA 5
November 19, 2011 |
Fight UK MMA | 3 | 5:00 |
| W | Damian Zlotnicki | TKO (punches) | Fight UK MMA 4
June 5, 2011 |
Fight UK MMA | 1 | 2:15 |
Career history from the fighter's Wikipedia record table (Leon Edwards) — results only, no strike stats; UFC bouts are marked and carry full stats in the fight history above.
Division context
Headshot of Leon Edwards by James English · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · cropped and resized