Leon Edwards has given his side of the story after Joe Rogan recalled an explosive altercation that almost ended in a fight.
Edwards is looking to snap a two-fight losing skid when he returns to action at this weekend's stacked UFC 322 in New York City.
He surrendered his UFC welterweight title against Belal Muhammad last year before succumbing to top contender Sean Brady at UFC London last March.
Edwards is seeking a win against Carlos Prates at UFC 322 to re-establish himself in the UFC welterweight rankings as he eyes another shot at UFC gold.
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Rogan will be calling Edwards vs. Prates from inside Madison Square Garden and he's familiar with the British star given he has been on his podcast.
The popular podcaster not only had Edwards on his podcast but also invited him to one of his comedy shows with Dave Chappelle.
Rogan told Brendan Schaub a story of when he had to save a doorman from a potential scrap with Edwards after singling him out in a nightclub.
"There was this dude, I don’t want to say who he worked for but he was a bodyguard and he talked sh*t to Leon Edwards when Leon was with me, I brought Leon to a show, Leon did my podcast then we went, and did a show with (Dave) Chappelle, then afterward we all went out to this club," the UFC commentator explained.
"It was at the end of the night and this guy decided he was gonna kick everybody out and for some reason, he singled out Leon Edwards and he got in his face.
"He said, 'Hey man, I f**king told you it’s time to leave', and then I got in between them and said, 'I know you probably made some f**ked up mistakes in your life, you’re about to make the biggest one'.
"I pulled him aside and he went like a ghost, I go, 'that’s one of the baddest motherf**kers on the planet',"
A year on from the nightclub incident, Edwards was unable to completely recollect the story given his state but recalled what he remembers from his exchange with the doorman.
He called the doorman a 'jobsworth' and revealed how Rogan intervened.
"I can't remember. I was drunk... that was years ago. I can't remember. The same what he said, basically. Just one of these jobsworth, you know what I mean, that didn't know he was in danger. That's all it was," the ex-UFC champion told SPORTbible.
"You know doormen, they think they are the hardest people on Earth, you know what I mean? And, obviously didn't know who I was, and… so yeah, Joe came over me (and said to the doorman), 'mate, you need to, like, basically relax'."
On whether it got physical, the 34-year-old replied: "It didn't, because, like I said, Joe stepped in and that was it, really. Nothing happened."
Given Edwards' hands are lethal weapons, he was never going to throw down but if he had, then serious damage would have been caused.
He will be hoping to deliver serious damage when he steps foot inside the famed Octagon against Prates at UFC 322.
Leon Edwards takes on Carlos Prates on the undercard of UFC: 322 Della Maddalena vs Makhachev live on Saturday 15th November at Madison Square Garden, New York. The main card will be live on TNT Sport 1 from 3am GMT on Sunday 16th November. For more info, click here.
Topics: Joe Rogan, Leon Edwards, UFC, Spotlight
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