Leon Edwards is gearing up for the biggest fight of his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career tomorrow morning (Sat. June 22, 2018).
Edwards headlines UFC Singapore with longtime veteran Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Edwards admits that Cowboy is a legend of the sport but says he has never been a fan of his:
“He’s a legend of the sport, but I wouldn’t say I was a fan of his,” Edwards said. “Just [because] his approach to fighting, I think it’s more like a journeyman. I don’t think he cares whether he wins or loses. He just shows up and as long as he fights, that’s good for him.
“To me, I think his approach is more like a journeyman approach. You’re just there to fight, you’re not there to win or lose. I don’t think it bothers him, whether he wins or loses anyway — that’s his approach. But my approach is I want to win every fight and I want to be a world champion. That’s my aim in the sport.”
The 26-year-old also seems to be suspicious of Cerrone’s durability. After all these years that he has been competing Edwards believes Cowboy has taken a lot of damage, and sees a blueprint to defeating the former lightweight title challenger:
“I think so,” Edwards said. “He’s a 36-year-old man now and he took a lot of damage in his last, what, six or seven outings. He took a lot of damage. We’ve watched his last four or five fights, and honestly there’s a blueprint there, and I can [execute] it. As far as why he’s really struggling, I don’t know.
“Welterweight is probably just too big for him, or his chin is deteriorating. It could be anything. Like I said, he’s a 36-year-old man. His style of fighting, the way he’s fought, it’s been the same realistically for, what, his last 10 or 15 fights? I don’t think there’s much different in his game, really, that’s changed over the last 10 or 15 fights, from what I’ve seen anyway.
“So people are probably just getting used to what he does and what he throws, and everything else. There’s no [mystery] there.”
What do you make of Edwards’ analysis of Cerrone? Let us know in the comments section below!
