In-depth analysis of Leon Edwards fighting style

Leon Edwards fighting style is unique and that made him the number 3 ranked welterweight in the UFC, he holds a professional record of 18-3, and was riding on an 8-fight win streak before his last fight against Belal Muhammad was declared as no contest after an unintentional eye poke from Edwards.

Edward is an elite fighter with a skill set that is second to none, he lost his last fight against the current welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and since then he has worked his way up in the rankings and is now waiting for his title shot.

Edwards is going to face “The Stockton Slugger” Nate Diaz in his next fight at UFC 263, and it will be an interesting matchup of styles, and fans can’t wait for these two fighters to get locked inside the octagon, Nate will be a tough challenge for Edwards but a probable title shot on the line will push Edwards to grab the victory, today we will discuss his unique and effective fighting style.

There are many aspects in MMA and Leon is a master of most of them. Let’s discuss them one by one.

Leon Edwards Fighting Style: striking

Edwards is an excellent kickboxer and has a great fame for 170 pounds, he makes great use of range and likes to fight from the outside he draws his opponents towards him and counters their strikes with beautiful accuracy and timing.

Unlike most southpaws he throws a lot of jabs, and keeps them at distance with plenty of faints, his jab is always on point and that opens up a lot of follow-up strikes, he is known for his rear kicks, which most fighters fail to throw properly. He showed the effectiveness of that kick in his fight against Rafael Dos Anjos.

When that jab starts landing Leon times that rear kick with accuracy blasting his opponents’ mid-section, and when they start to anticipate that kick, he throws the straight punch or an uppercut counter that usually gets the work done.

He is also very good at clinch, and it is hard to differentiate what he does differently with his elbows in the clinch but they look extra lethal and do a lot of damage on the opponent.

Leon Edwards wrestling

Edwards is a kickboxer but he worked extremely hard on his wrestling, he spent some time at the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) the home of great wrestlers like Daniel Cormier, Cain Valesquez, and Khabib Nurmagomedov to learn the grappling aspect of the game.

With enough hard work his takedown defense and chain wrestling can be troublesome for most seasoned wrestlers, Edwards shows good basics and exceptional speed to deny takedowns attempts, he ducks down almost immediately on a double leg and widens his stance which gives him a better chance of survival, if in case he gets taken down he immediately seeks the cage and then get back on his feet with ease.

Edwards learned the art of transitions when attempting takedowns in his recent fights he showed how quickly he can switch from a double leg or single leg attempt to a body lock position, the only person who was able to impose his will on Edwards was the champ, Kamaru Usman.

Leon Edwards Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Edwards’s control game from the bottom revolves around taking the back, and two of his three career submission victories came from the rear-naked choke. After controlling his opponents’ posture from the top, he starts doing some damage and that forces his opponent to transition and eventually giving up their back.

Leon is more than willing to hang on the two-on-one wrist control and beat his opponents on the ground, and if they somehow find their way on the feet his lethal elbows from the clinch get the work done.

Also read: Leon Edwards life as an immigrant in England: Being arrested, violent life, and more

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