Leon Edwards is coming into UFC 296 with a chip on his shoulder. Set to defend his title against Colby Covington at UFC 296, things have gotten a little personal for the Englishman. Following a rather action-packed press conference, there was one major talking point.
Amidst the drama and chaos, Covington commented on Leon’s deceased father: “On Saturday night, I’m going to bring you to a place you never want to be. I’m going to bring you to the seventh level of hell. We’ll say what’s up to your dad while we’re there”. Naturally, the comment struck a nerve with the champ, who launched a water bottle at his opponent.
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In the past, Leon Edwards has often shared his difficult story of immigrating to the UK. Hailing from Jamaica, Edwards and his family had to deal with many hardships. However, Leon’s father soon became a well-respected and feared man in the community. Although things were on the up for the family, they soon went on a downward spiral when Leon’s father was shot and killed.
Speaking in an interview, Leon said “My dad died (when I was) at 13, got murdered at 13 in London, in the UK. From there I went on like a bad spiral”. Further, ‘Rocky‘ added, “Growing up in Jamaica, my dad was like the leader where I grew up. I’ve always been around violence as far as guns and stuff like that.” A tormenting moment, it is understandable why it is a pressure point for the English champion.
Leon Edwards’ family- What do they do?
For the most part, many only knew about Leon Edwards and the bond he shared with his mother and brother. Following his title win at UFC 278 against Kamaru Usman, the newly crowned champion shared a special moment with his mother. As he has stated numerous times, Leon only got into MMA because of his mother.
After his father’s passing, both Leon and his younger brother Fabian turned to a life of crime and gangs. Eventually, it was their single mother who steered them on the right path and helped them mend their ways. Thus, both brothers took up MMA and soon began doing well for themselves in the sport.
Whilst Leon has gone on to be a world champion in the UFC, his brother Fabian has not done too badly either. A 12-3 fighter in Bellator, ‘The Assassin‘ challenged for the middleweight title on September 2023. Although he was unsuccessful in his efforts, Fabian has a lot of potential, and his brother’s guidance to help him along the way.
Colby Covington doubles down on his ‘character’
Following his rather despicable and insensitive comments, there has been no restrain from Covington. Although fans and the MMA community in general were torn about his comments, the majority believed that he was out of line. As such, some slammed the former interim champ for his ‘character’ and the ‘fake persona’ he puts on.
Notably, Leon himself stated that he wasn’t worried about Colby Covington or the ‘trash-talking, bad guy character’ he plays. With that said Covington’s comments after the ceremonial weigh-ins led many to believe that he wasn’t really playing a character. Speaking about Leon’s deceased father he said, “He was a s*x trafficker, he was a drug lord, he killed people… That guy is a scumbag, why would I feel bad? I have no sympathy for him”.
Colby Covington made further comments about Leon Edwards’ late father in an interview with @AgFight #UFC296 #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/GsFYOaAA2I
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) December 16, 2023
Notably, some people felt that ‘Chaos‘ was slightly apologetic during his faceoff with Edwards. As such, some believed that Covington seemingly apologized for his comments. However, a closer inspection shows that Colby is instead saying, “How was the character, how was the character?” likely referring to Leon’s above-mentioned comments.