Leon Edwards is soaking up the attention in lead up to UFC 278. His long awaited title shot is happening this weekend. The number 2 welterweight contender also showed off his new $30,000 Rolex.
UFC 278 is just around the corner. The event is scheduled to air this weekend on August 20 and will take place at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City. The headliner will be a welterweight title fight between the longtime champion Kamaru Usman and number 2 contender Leon Edwards.
The pair shared an octagon before at UFC on Fox in 2015 where Edwards ended up losing via decision. Since then, Edwards has been climbing the ranks and ia currently on a 10 win streak.
Leon Edwards did a pretty unusual thing before the showdown. While other athletes would enjoy the payday following their bout, Edwards chose to treat himself with a luxury watch worth $30,000. He also shared his activities all through the week.
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Edwards bought himself a Blue Sky Dweller Rolex valued an estimated $30,000.
Rolex debuted the Sky-Dweller collection in 2012. The leather strap version of the watch was discontinued in 2020 making the prices soar. The watch was initially only available in full gold making it a prized possession out of the reach for the masses. In 2017 they added two more options including the white gold bezel.
This bout will be Edwards’ first big event in his 11 years of being a professional mixed martial artist as it will be his first title shot in the promotion. In 2014, he won the welterweight championship within BAMMA (British Association of Mixed Martial Arts) and defended it one time before signing up with the UFC.
Some MMA fans were skeptical of Edwards’ worthiness of receiving the title shot. The Birmingham born competed two times last year against Belal Muhammad which ended as a no-contest and against non ranked Nate Diaz, which he won via unanimous decision.
However, people should notice that there is almost no other choice and the timing is just right for Leon Edwards to fight for the title. Meanwhile, Kamaru Usman will be looking to have his 6th successful title defense.