UFC 204's Leon Edwards after scoring this submission win over Albert Tumenov: 'Everyone doubted me'

MANCHESTER, England – Leon Edwards knows you doubted his ability to beat Albert Tumenov. He knew better, though, he said.

Edwards (12-3 MMA, 4-2 UFC) entered the cage as an underdog, though not a considerable one; he peaked at +200 on fight night. Still, that was enough doubt to seemingly motivate Edwards.

He and Tumenov (17-4 MMA, 5-3 UFC) went back and forth before a late takedown from Edwards led to a rear-naked choke and tap at the 3:01 mark of Round 3 (via Twitter):

The welterweight bout was part of the preliminary card of UFC 204 at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. It aired on FS1 following additional prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ahead of the main card on pay-per-view.

“The plan was to just dominate wherever the fight went,” Edwards said following his victory. “Striking, on the ground – I knew I had an advantage when it goes on the ground. I dominated the first round, came out in the second and stayed relaxed, and I knew I would get the finish. I took him down, and I got the submission.”

There seem to be two schools of thought for fighters after a win. Some have a name locked and loaded for a post-fight callout; others say they’ll leave the next step in their career to the UFC. Edwards is the latter.

“I don’t care (who is next),” Edwards said. “I’ll fight them all. Whoever they bring I’ll fight. My main goal is to get the gold belt. That’s all that really matters to me – being No. 1.”

Riding a two-fight winning streak and with four victories in his five most recent outings, Edwards said a title shot is still two years away.

But the Brit is satisfied with his current spot. When asked if the win over Tumenov was the biggest moment of his career, Edwards answered with an emphatic “yes.”

“One hundred percent,” Edwards said. “Everyone was doubting me in this match. He was ranked No. 14 in the world. Everyone doubted me, but I knew I could beat this guy, and I got the finish.”

Check out the full video above.

And for complete coverage UFC 204, check out the UFC Events section of the site.