Leon Edwards being overlooked during the BBC Sports Personality of the Year [SPOTY] nomination process has left talkSPORT host Adam Catterall baffled.
The UFC welterweight champion brought MMA’s premier promotion back to the UK for a pay-per-view show earlier this year before defending his belt in America last weekend.
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Edwards has scored two massive wins this yearCredit: Getty
Despite that, he was left off the list of six nominees for the SPOTY award – which was won by Mary Earps on Tuesday.
The England goalkeeper and World Cup runner-up beat Stuart Broad, Frankie Dettori, Alfie Hewett, Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Rory McIlroy to the gong.
Catterall has no issue with her victory but is confused by the process that led to one of the world’s best fighters being left off the list of nominees.
The respected combat sports reporter discussed his issue during a passionate speech about the UFC superstar being overlooked despite enjoying a remarkable 2023.
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“Leon Edwards. MMA fighter,” Catterall said on talkSPORT Sports Bar.
“When you talk about Sports Personality of the Year, there’s gotta be a lot more than, for me, what you do in your sporting field. We are talking about a young guy who has been through the toughest times in life.
“Now, in a niche sport, where it is incredibly difficult to be the number one – it’s not like boxing where there are a million belts in each weight division – we are talking championship belt in the weight division of the best fighters on the planet.
“Before Leon Edwards, only one man in history from Great Britain [Michael Bisping] has been UFC champion. Across all weight divisions, only one man has been able to do it.
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Earps has rounded off her brilliant 2023 with the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award
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Catterall thinks she’s a fair winner, but wants to know why Edwards wasn’t nominatedCredit: talkSPORT
“Leon Edwards last year became the champion. In 2023, he defended his championship on British soil against the pound-for-pound number-one fighter on the planet, and he beat him easy.
“He then went to Las Vegas, took on Colby Covington, who many were saying, ‘Oh, Leon Edwards is going to get found out’, and he took him to school.
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“The first man ever from Great Britain to defend a UFC title on American soil – no one has ever done it before. In doing so, he has now got 12 consecutive wins at welterweight, equalling the great Georges St-Pierre.”
Catterall accepts Edwards may never win SPOTY, but would like to see him given the chance to do so if he enjoys a similarly successful year in 2024.
He added: “So, what does it take to get nominated?
“I’m not saying he’s going to win it because I get MMA and UFC is a bit niche when we are talking about football and all these other great sports.
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‘Rocky’ is just the third UK UFC champion and one of the best welterweights of all timeCredit: Getty
“What does it take for Leon Edwards to at least get nominated?
“Put him in the six and let the people decide. If they knew his story, what he’s achieved and who he has achieved it against, they’d be voting in their thousands and millions.
“He is absolutely the real deal. If anyone can enlighten me, how do we get to the six? I’ll make a pledge for next year because he’s probably going to do it again.
“He’ll overtake the St-Pierre record and then, who knows, he might go on to become a two-weight world champion.”
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