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Leon Edwards fought under MMA rules for the first time in March 2011 at a regional event in the United Kingdom. 'Rocky' fought twice in the amateur event, getting a no-contest result in his first bout against Scott Kimblin. In his second outing, Edwards managed to beat Jamie Hughes.
The UFC welterweight champion's first professional bout came against Damian Zlotnicki three months after his amateur debut. Edwards managed to defeat Zlotnicki in the first round via stoppage at Fight UK 4.
Watch Edwards' debut bout at Fight UK 4 here:
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Leon Edwards fought three times under the Fight UK banner during the early days of his professional MMA career. 'Rocky' even suffered his first defeat as a pro in the organization - a disqualification against Delroy McDowell due to landing an illegal knee in the third round.
Before entering the UFC in 2014, Edwards was competing in BAMMA and fought five times in the British organization. 'Rocky' remained unbeaten in the BAMMA ranks, which clearly caught the eye of the UFC, and the Englishman later debuted against Claudio Silva at UFC Fight Night 56: Shogun vs. Saint Preux.
His first ever UFC contest didn't go as planned, with Edwards being on the losing end of a close split decision after three rounds of fighting.
Who did Leon Edwards first beat after joining the UFC?
As mentioned, Leon Edwards didn't have a great start in the UFC. However, 'Rocky' managed to get his first organizational victory in his next fight, against Seth Baczynski at UFC Fight Night 64: Gonzaga vs. Cro Cop 2 in 2015.
Baczynski had a 19-12 professional record at the time and was stopped by Edwards in the opening round. The Englishman then went on to beat Paweł Pawlak in his next UFC outing but lost to Kamaru Usman via unanimous decision in 2015.
Since losing to Kamaru Usman at UFC on FOX 17: Dos Anjos vs. Cowboy 2, 'Rocky' has remained unbeaten in the organization and recently avenged his loss against Usman. Edwards stopped the Nigerian in the fifth and final round at UFC 278 to become the UFC welterweight champion.
