Something came over Leon Edwards when he won his UFC title.
The welterweight champion was grinding away for years before he finally earned a shot at the belt owned by long-time UFC champion Kamaru Usman in August 2022.
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‘Rocky’ is usually mild-mannered and that may have been the reason he was often overlooked for a title shot before taking out Usman in sensational fashion.
The 32-year-old was down on the cards with a minute to go when he cracked ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ with one of the best head kick knockouts in UFC history.
After snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, Edwards’ true character came out as he wildly celebrated with his MMA fighter brother, Fabian, and the rest of their team.
Eagle-eyed fans noticed the Englishman walking around the Octagon like a prime Conor McGregor, who is known for his famous ‘Billionaire Strut’.
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“I don’t know what I was doing,” Edwards said when asked if he meant to mimic McGregor after his win at UFC 278.
“I was just happy, you know? I was just gassed.
“I don’t know what I was doing really.”
Edwards’ unique post-fight behaviour continued during his Octagon interview with Joe Rogan.
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McGregor is known for making the most of his mic time and over the years he’s delivered some of the greatest interviews in MMA history.
However, Edwards may have topped them all when he was asked about becoming a champion.
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UFC star Leon Edwards pulls off absolutely insane trick shot as he runs past fans in the park
“They all doubted, said I couldn’t do it,” he said. “They all said I couldn’t do it. Look at me now! Pound-for-pound. Headshot. Dead.
“Champion of the world, look at me now. I was born in Jamaica with nothing. I lived in a wooden shed with a zinc roof. Look at me now!”
Edwards’ words are still ringing in fans' ears ahead of his third title defence.
The Jamaican-born Brummie was recently out for a jog when fans used his ‘Headshot. Dead’ catchphrase to invite him to join their game of basketball.
A ball was thrown in the direction of Edwards, but instead of catching it, he volleyed it across the court straight into the basketball hoop.
Footage of the trick shot quickly went viral – but not everyone is convinced it’s real.
Edwards hasn’t addressed the speculation as he’s currently preparing to face the streaking welterweight contender Belal Muhammad in the main event of UFC 304 in Manchester on July 27.
The pair first fought in March 2021, but their clash ended inconclusively.
Muhammad couldn’t continue after being inadvertently poked in the eye and their fight was declared a no-contest.
Edwards annoyed his rival by opting to face UFC legend Nate Diaz instead of pursuing an immediate rematch.
Since then, Muhammad has won five fights to stretch his perfect streak to nine.
Win, lose or draw, he insists there’ll be no making up with Edwards after UFC 304. In fact, he thinks their beef will carry on after the final bell on Saturday night.
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“I think I'm going to literally walk to his corner and do the Khabib [Nurmagomedov] thing,” Muhammad said referencing the Russian's post-fight brawl with Conor McGregor at UFC 229 in 2018.
“Throw my mouthpiece at them, laugh at them, point, and maybe hop over the fence and jump on his brother.”