Leon Edwards was overcome with emotion in his post-fight interview.
Colby Covington had made a vile joke about Edwards’ late father who was murdered in a London nightclub.
Clearly the comment had got to the Welterweight champion who managed to keep his emotions in check during his title defense but after the victory, Edwards admitted his opponent’s words had reduced him to tears.
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‘This fight was very emotional for me,’ he said.
‘This guy used my dad’s death as entertainment. He used my dad’s murder as entertainment, and it took a lot for me to calm down, stay focused and come win this fight.
‘I spoke to my coaches, I spoke to my mum and I kind of shut it all down.’
He continued: ‘After the press conference I went backstage and I was crying just from the rage. You can’t use my dad’s death as entertainment, and that’s what he did.
‘To this day it still breaks my heart that he got murdered. He said my dad should burn in hell.’
You can watch the video below:
"This guy used my dad's death as entertainment. It took a lot for me to calm down, stay focused to win this fight."@Leon_edwardsmma 🏆 🇬🇧 🇯🇲#UFC296 pic.twitter.com/8V2a0j2TED
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) December 17, 2023
Edwards managed to comfortably defeat Covington to defend his UFC welterweight title for the second time.
