"She did it to basically save her son from getting involved deeper into going to prison, or dead, or stabbed" - Leon Edwards credits mother for getting him into MMA

Leon Edwards is days away from the biggest fight of his career and what could turn out to be the most important night of his life if he wins the UFC welterweight title. But Edwards knows how differently his life could have unfolded if it weren't for his mother's intervention.

Growing up, 'Rocky' was surrounded by crime, with his father being an active drug dealer in Birmingham. Edwards seemed to be following in his dad's footsteps as he was involved in all sorts of illegal activities during his youth. However, through the efforts of his mother, 'Rocky' joined an MMA gym at the age of 17 and never looked back.

Edwards spoke to Nick Peet of BT Sport about the importance of his mother's influence, saying the following:

"She was the one the got me into MMA. Even though she didn't do it for a career path, she did it to basically save her son from getting involved deeper into going to prison, or dead, or stabbed, or I could have been doing, like I said, life in prison. You know, so she did it from that part of her heart, but by God's grace it turned out to be a career for me."

Watch the interview below:

Leon Edwards never dreamed of becoming an MMA fighter growing up, but he does acknowledge how fortunate he is to have taken the path that he is on right now.

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Leon Edwards feels he is "leaps ahead" of Kamaru Usman in the striking department

Leon Edwards recently appeared in front of the media ahead of his title fight against Kamaru Usman at UFC 278. 'Rocky' was asked whether he expects Usman to come out and look to strike with him or look to wrestle.

In response, Edwards noted what he would do if he was Usman:

"If I was him, I'd come out and try to wrestle. But I think he's going to try come out and strike. You've got to think, he was a wrestler his whole life and now he's getting finishes, you're going to fall in love with it, it's natural for that to happen. But I am just leaps ahead of him when it comes to striking, hes's a good wrestler but I'm a good mixed martial artist. I can put it all together, great jiu-jitsu, good grappling, so we'll see."

Watch Edwards' media day appearance below:

Leon Edwards will hope his assessment of Usman's skillset compared to his own is accurate come Saturday night, as he looks to be the man to dethrone the current welterweight king.