Watch: When Ariel Helwani called Leon Edwards "The symbol for everyone getting kicked in the groin" in 2020

Leon Edwards was in a very different place in his career in late 2020 than he is right now.

At that time, Edwards had been inactive for over a year and was struggling to keep traction going from his July 2019 victory over former UFC lightweight world champion Rafael dos Anjos. There was an attempt at getting a Tyron Woodley fight booked in March 2020 but the coronavirus pandemic killed the event and Edwards still had not fought come November 2020.

Edwards was then scheduled to face Khamzat Chimaev, when Helwani said:

"Could you imagine if the year ends with Leon Edwards, who is the symbol for everyone getting kicked in the groin this year... If the year ends with Leon Edwards getting his hand raised?"

Helwani continued:

"Leon Edwards who told me last week that he thinks the company is rooting against him. The company wants him to fail, beating the golden boy- the breakout star- the Wolf- Khamzat Chimaev."

However, the Edwards- Chimaev fight never materialised due to Covid-19 virus which first plagued 'Rocky' and then his opponent.

See the tweet below:

A lot can change in the UFC in two years, and Leon 'Rocky' Edwards personifies that; from overlooked contender on a decent winning streak to cementing himself as the best 170 pounder on the planet.

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Leon Edwards and his path since November 2020

Edwards' planned December 2020 bout with Chimav was scrapped after 'Rocky' tested positive for COVID 19. Two more attempts were made to book the Edwards-Chimaev fight in January and March of 2021, respectively. The fight was scrapped on both occasions, as 'Borz' was dealing with Covid-19.

Edwards finally got himself back into the octagon in March 2021, but the ending was fairly anticlimactic. The fight with Belal Muhammad ended in a no contest after an errant eye poke from Edwards in the second round. Edwards went on to defeat Nate Diaz at UFC 263 in June 2021 by way of unanimous decision. However, 'Rocky' almost got finished in the dying moments of the fight by Nate Diaz.

Just this weekend, Edwards fought Kamaru Usman for the welterweight world title at UFC 278. Edwards scored one of the most sensational comeback wins in the history of MMA and knocked out the pound-for-pound king Kamaru Usman.