"His body is breaking down"- Leon Edwards explains why this is the perfect time for him to fight the UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman

Leon Edwards (L) Kamaru Usman (R) {Credits:Instagram @usman84kg @leonedwardsmma]

In an interview with CBS Sports' Shakiel Mahjouri, Leon Edwards revealed why now is the perfect time for him to be back in the octagon with Kamaru Usman. He called his long layoff a 'blessing in disguise' as it allowed him time to hone his craft. He claimed he's ready for the pound-for-pound number one fighter, stating:

"I've improved leaps and bounds, and I think now is the perfect time for us to fight... I think them years [not fighting] looking back at it now are a blessing in disguise, because it gave me time to hone my skills and polish what I needed to polish off. While he's competed but he's also been in wars you know, his body is breaking down. I think now is the perfect time."

Usman and Edwards originally faced off in 2015, with Usman winning a dominant unanimous decision over three rounds. He was both able to outstrike Edwards and take him and down and control him.

Edwards has since rattled off nine straight victories, and due to an unlucky streak of canceled bouts, had a 600 day-long layoff from fighting in 2019-2021. While Edwards was out of the octagon, he was still training rigorously in anticipation of an upcoming fight that took years to materialize.

At the same time, Usman has been in warlike fights with the likes of Colby Covington and Gilbert Burns. The two are now set to face each other at UFC 278 on August 20 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

You can watch the full interview with Leon Edwards below:

"You felt like you made it" - Leon Edwards shares about journey from Jamaica to London

Leon Edwards truly embodies his 'Rocky' moniker in the way that he had to rise above a challenging start. Edwards was also asked by CBS Sports' about his upbringing and 'Rocky' shared how when he moved to the UK, he was amazed by the luxuries he had, stating:

"When I got to the UK I got my own room, and TV in your room to watch... Even though it was only like a two-bedroom house, for me moving from basically living in a shack in Jamaica- a wooden shack with a zinc roof. In that room it's your living room, bedroom, kitchen, all-in-one you know. So going from there to living in the UK to having like a downstairs, upstairs, living room kitchen... it felt like you made it you know."

Despite an upgrade in housing, Edwards' family still experienced hardship, and tragedy struck when his father got murdered in a London nightclub. However, 'Rocky' battled adversity with heart and skill in the martial arts and became the BAMMA [British Association of Mixed Martial Arts] welterweight champion.

He'll fight Kamaru 'The Nigerian Nightmare' Usman to become the new UFC welterweight champion Saturday night.

🇯🇲 𝓡𝓸𝓬𝓴𝔂'𝓼 𝓡𝓸𝓪𝓭 𝓣𝓸 𝓡𝓮𝓭𝓮𝓶𝓹𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 🇬🇧

@Leon_edwardsmma finally gets his title shot at #UFC278 🏆

And we've got something special dropping for you on Monday...

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