"No one's had a tougher route" - Brendan Schaub compares Leon Edwards' journey to Tony Ferguson, calls title win "greatest knockout of all time"
Leon Edwards' incredible underdog story has left Brendan Schaub amazed. Edwards joined the UFC back in 2014. Eight long years and 12 wins later, the Englishman has finally laid hands on the much-coveted welterweight gold.
At UFC 278 this past weekend, Edwards sent shockwaves through the world of combat sports by knocking out Kamaru Usman in the fifth round of their title clash. Schaub has since claimed that nobody in the UFC has had a tougher route to becoming a champion than 'Rocky'.
I've lost count of how many times I've watched this. Chef's Kiss on the edit.
Leon Edwards x Rocky soundtrack 🤌
https://t.co/kakZ4USBBi
During a recent episode of The Schaub Show, 'Big Brown' pointed out that Edwards had to face a host of top contenders, had to see big fights fall through, and overcome several other obstacles before earning a crack at the title.
Comparing Leon Edwards' journey to that of Tony Ferguson, Schaub said:
"No one's had a tougher route to becoming a world champion [than Edwards]. The only guy who has a similar route would be Tony Ferguson in his prime... If that fight would have finally came to fruition when Khabib was champion and if Tony would have pulled off [a win] with 56 seconds left, to head-kick KO, that would be the only similar fight where you could say that's the greatest knockout all the time."
He added:
"[Usman's] never lost inside the octagon... He's never ever really been in trouble, f***ing mopping the floor with everybody, talking about going to light heavyweight. This quiet Brit from Birmingham f***ing England decides, 'I don't like this story.' ... Things will never be the same, you can never take that away from [him] ever again. Greatest knockout of all time."
Watch the episode below:
Kamaru Usman reveals potential timeline for trilogy fight with Leon Edwards
During a recent interaction with TMZ Sports, Kamaru Usman insisted that he will be challenging Edwards for the title in a trilogy fight next.
Usman revealed that he's spoken to Dana White since UFC 278, and will let the UFC president sort out the date. He also said that while he'd targeted another fight this year, the third bout with Leon Edwards will probably take place sometime early in 2023.
'The Nigerian Nightmare' also expressed a desire to face Edwards in the Brit's home country, which White teased at the post-fight press conference.
"It’s absolutely what’s gonna happen next. I’ve talked to Dana [White], and we’re gonna see. I’ll let him do his job, and we’re gonna see what date makes sense. It’s gonna be top of next year. I was gonna try and squeeze one in this year, but it’ll probably be the top of next year, and I want to go to England."
Catch the full interview below: