Christian “Pain” Edwards, a 20-year-old light heavyweight, hails from Yukon, Oklahoma. Many believe he could be the next big thing since Garth Brooks. However, in the world of young talent, whether in mixed martial arts or music, success is never guaranteed. Edwards' ability to stand out has led Rick Guerrero, a Chicago-based manager, to collaborate with the Jackson Wink MMA Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This arrangement allows Edwards to train with champions like Jon Jones.
Early Aspirations and Training
When the opening bell rang on his MMA career on July 12, all Edwards wanted was to be noticed. This, it seems, was the lowest bar Edwards could set at the outset of his pro career for the simple fact that getting noticed hadn’t been an issue for a 6-foot-5 prospect who counts himself among UFC champion Jon Jones’ sparring partners. “I want people to know that I am in the division and I am a threat,” Edwards said.
“Christian is coming out of the gate very advanced,” Guerrero said. “He has been everything we hoped for with respect to taking what has been given and constantly going for more. I firmly believe he will be a champ.” These were among the signs, the extra touches around Edwards that made him the right fit to become the first Jackson Wink/Mata Leon scholarship recipient, meaning that in exchange for signing with Guerrero’s management company and committing to fight under the Jackson Wink banner, he would be covered: the cost of training like a full-time pro, of being able to live in the dorms at one of the top gyms in the world, of whatever else would be a concern for a kid trying to find his way.
The tougher-to-ID ones, like Edwards, tend to be raw and talented athletes who are drawn to fighting rather than organized sports. Edwards stopped wrestling after the sixth grade, stopped playing sports altogether, and instead became a homeschooled mixed martial artist. By his sophomore year in high school, Edwards, who by his own account was a bit of an angry recluse, matriculated to a local Brazilian jiu-jitsu academy. Soon enough, an eager African-American kid who too often fought in the streets of his Oklahoma City suburb envisioned himself walking alongside the giants of the game, dreaming of the day he would be referred to in the same breath as Anderson “The Spider” Silva or “Bones” Jones.
“I have my own vision for the most part,” Edwards said. “Without a doubt, my goal is to be one of the best to ever do it. But I want to take it one step at a time, not rush anything, get the experience I need.
Read also: The Rise of Christian Rodriguez
Guerrero suggested that Edwards, who was fresh out of high school and still living with his mom, visit the camp for a week to see if it felt right. But the kid struck Guerrero as patient and thoughtful in ways that allowed him to express what it was that he wanted, so, Edwards told him, he didn’t need to take part in any kind of recruiting trip like some college-bound athlete. He knew this meant a chance to move beyond the team of trainers he had worked with - and thanked after each of his amateur wins - into a literal fighting factory that housed perhaps the best competitor on the planet, one who happened to have a similar body style and background.
“I did kind of make a little joke about training with Jones when Rick first brought up the arrangement,” Edwards said.
MMA Debut and Early Fights
Army Sgt. Justin Vargas, 29, product of the combatives program at Fort Hood, will forever be known as Edwards’ foray into pro MMA. The first-round stoppage during the opening bout of Bellator 224 in Thackerville, Oklahoma, which is a three-hour drive south of where Edwards was raised, signaled, yet again, that he had been properly scouted - that the investment of his manager, trainers and promoter had been well placed, and that if things kept trending in the same direction, there’s probably gold in them thar hills.
“It was just a really good feeling to be back in the cage,” said Edwards, who had not fought in more than a year as he prepared to move from the amateur to pros.
Flashes of Edwards’ MMA intentions had previously manifested in his amateur bouts, each of which was impressive in its own way. Edwards, then 19, wore a pair of red UFC shorts during his cage debut inside a small venue in Oklahoma City in 2017. Before the opening bell, he took a deep bow and came up for air with a swooping gesture that somehow didn’t make him look cocky. That’s because there was sincerity in the movement, a forewarning to the audience that what they were about to see wasn’t like anything else at a Rage in the Cage OKC amateur fight night.
Read also: Discover the dominance of Christian Jelle
Dalton Wood was so out of Edwards’ league that in sheer desperation he threw an erratic right-hand haymaker that swept him off his feet. Wood awkwardly hit the canvas clutching an arm that was injured because he lost control. The second bout provided Edwards a chance to defend punches in the guard prior to orchestrating a clinical and mean technical knockout.
Edwards’ last amateur experience occurred a little more than a year ago, and it showcased his length, which he made more dangerous by figuring out a way to turn over his punches and powerfully connect with the top of his gloves. This was how Edwards finished Vargas, using his right hand instead of his left, after framing on the soldier’s neck to create space. A clean short elbow, similar to the kind that “Bones” dishes out, loosened Vargas’s grip and gave Edwards the space he needed to showcase a strong finishing instinct that underscores his nickname.
“I’m where I need to be,” said Edwards, who prefers to strike first then go to his ground game, including a crafty guard, if need be. “I learned that I need to find that calm that I always look for when I fight. I need to tell myself that this is what I signed up for. This is what I do for a living. There’s no nerves in doing your job. You shouldn’t be nervous doing your job.”
Friday night at Bellator 233 on the preliminary card at WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma, Christian Edwards, who fights out of Jackson Wink MMA Academy had a chance to display why he could be the next big MMA star. He knocked out his opponent Cesar Bennett in just 16 seconds of the first round with a high kick. Christians first fight only lasted 54 seconds when he TKO’d Justin Vargas with a brutal left hook followed by a ground and pound of elbows. Edwards has now improved to 2-0 in MMA competition. Christian grew up in Yukon Oklahoma. He started training with Jackson Wink MMA Academy in 2017. At just 21 years old, he has been a main training partner with Jon Jones, Don’Tale Mayes and Devin Clark, just to name a few.
Benny Meeks vs Christian Edwards
Training and Development
When Edwards arrived in Albuquerque, the suspension that had kept Jones on the sidelines had just been lifted. The newcomer recalls that Jones introduced himself, asked questions and appeared genuinely interested in his well-being when they began working with one another. Jones offered Edwards exactly what he was looking for and received what he considered good advice as the reigning UFC champion shared stories about his early days. They shared similar experiences in their first few months training in Albuquerque. Edwards, like Jones, went to every training session, but the pace was too heavy, and he soon realized that some days were best served by chilling out.
Read also: Edwards' UFC Record
Edwards’ obsession with MMA only grew as his participation intensified. Fighters such as Israel Adesanya, Zabit Magomedsharipov and Max Holloway all compete like Edwards intends to. Constant pressure. In your face. No chance to breathe.
“That’s where I want to be so I can push this pace that breaks people,” said Edwards, whose MMA knowledge base has been filled with examples of genius fighters plying their trade in ways he has clearly picked up through his natural ability.
A year later, and Edwards served as one of Jones’ main sparring partners for the recent Thiago Santos fight, putting in five-round efforts and holding his own against the dominant champion.
“I’m not even the same fighter I was when I got here,” Edwards said. “I had no idea what frames were, or what all these things we’ve been working on. All the codes that we use. I’m a completely different fighter. Coach Wink has opened my eyes to a lot of things, like using my range. I wasn’t big on using my range. I didn’t think too much of it. I knew I was long, but I didn’t think if I threw long strikes I could give people problems. Coach Wink gave me a real perspective on what my weapons are and how I can use them effectively.
“There’s a good team of coaches here, and they’ve all helped me progress in their own way.”
“His maturity level is through the roof,” Guerrero said. When the UFC visited Chicago in early June 2018 for a pay-per-view card headlined by Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero, Guerrero approached Winkeljohn to discuss the gilded kid from Oklahoma. After watching tape of Edwards’ amateur fights, Winkeljohn was interested, and that is when they came up with the concept of an advanced partnership.
“Christian was our first guy, and he was thrilled at the idea,” the manager said. “He very quickly accepted and said, ‘Yeah, I’m going to do it. I’m ready to move.’”
Prospect Development in MMA
Prospect development for American MMA talent has taken many tracks from the amateurs to the pros as a sport emerged from the primordial ooze of the style-vs.-style wars that shaped the overall conception of what is effective and what isn’t in martial arts.
The effort is a crapshoot, meaning that the cost of grooming a prospect compared to the potential return a manager like Guerrero would receive makes every athlete he works with a gamble. Take, for example, another Jackson Wink fighter, Chris Brown, who saw two fights canceled over the past three months. It required Guerrero to eat $5,800 in travel costs.
“We’re in the Wild Wild West still over here in MMA,” Guerrero said. “There’s really no rules on how to do things.” Guerrero likens his role to that of an angel investor.
“I get in on the ground floor with young athletes I believe have the talent and mindset but need different support - equipment and training to weekly calls and general life coaching - to develop properly,” he said. “We work long term for the goal of becoming champions and understand we take the steps now for the future financial and personal gains that today only we can see. Christian Edwards’ successful Bellator debut kicked off a five-fight contract with the promotion and its prospect-development program. As the competition to sign and cultivate American fighters who are capable of handling the grind of being a pro and, crucially, connecting with the public, has never been more intense, knowing what to look for in young fighters is key to determining which ones go boom or bust.
That means someone’s money is being invested as they endeavor to provide talent the room and resources they need to grow and, on the backside, generate enough revenue on their name and fame to make the whole exercise a worthwhile business venture.
“The return comes at that point,” said Guerrero, who requires long-term agreements with the fighters he signs. “That’s the way I work. It’s been successful so far. Only time will tell exactly how my format works. I’ve had success getting guys in there and developing talent.”
From his perspective, it generally takes three years and an average of $10,000 to properly groom a prospect, though that depends on his or her weight class. For the most part, this is still how the UFC finds its fighters.
Feeder leagues with track records of sending fighters to the UFC, and a lesser extent Bellator, include the LFA and Invicta FC, which continue to offer quality platforms for many fighters. Most American fighters hailing from west of the Mississippi have likely fought on an LFA card at some point.
Ed Soares, a reformed big-time manager, is now almost entirely focused on developing the next crop of stars via LFA. Soares estimates that a quarter of the fighters currently on the UFC roster have come through his organization, with “The Ultimate Fighter” and now Dana White’s Contender Series events serving as bridges to the octagon.
“I think the best is yet to come,” said Soares, who worked with several of the best fighters in MMA history, including Anderson Silva.
“There’s no shortage of guys wanting to come to the LFA. We’ve proven ourselves as the No. 1 developmental organization.”
“Before you would get tough guys who were good fighters and they were learning to be athletes. Nowadays you’re getting athletes learning to fight. You’re getting a different breed. You’re getting guys who have been hitting mitts, wrestling and doing jiu-jitsu since the age of 8, 9, 10 years old.”
This trend is playing out across North America as MMA continues to mature into a mainstream space that now attracts athletes who may have considered other options a decade ago but today are drawn into the cage by the allure of gambling on themselves.
Identifying Potential Stars
How do MMA’s prospectors - the managers, trainers, matchmakers and promoters who invest their resources into developing the next generations of fighters - find potentially lucrative claims like Edwards?
Athleticism, pedigree, character and attitude are the boxes that need to be checked by the scouts whose mission it is to locate these next collection of stars, an assortment of industry sources told The Athletic.
For the people whose livelihoods depend on identifying and grooming high-quality fighters the public will embrace, even the best scouting efforts can’t guarantee a proper return on the considerable investment that’s required. Find exceptional talents is rare, and even still a risky proposition. See Aaron Pico.
Sometimes these attributes are knowable, and sometimes they are not, at least not until a fighter is tested in front of a paying audience with the accompanying glare of lights and cameras. How they reach this moment is the rub. There’s no one pathway to success in the sport. Different routes can bring prospects to the ultimate destination, which for most of them means being the best mixed martial artist they can be.
“I have 19- and 20-year-old fighters in the gym that could beat the greatest of the old-time fighters,” Winkeljohn said. “They’ve gotten that much better. That much faster. And they’re just trying to figure out things, whether it be on YouTube or the Internet.”
That a prospect such as Edwards hadn’t accrued a certain level of experience was of no concern to the executives in charge of talent development at Bellator. With only a trio of amateur fights under his belt, Edwards was offered a five-fight contract under its informal but well established developmental program.
Christian Edwards MMA Record
Below is a summary of Christian Edwards' MMA record as of the latest available information:
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 2-0 | Cesar Bennett | KO (High Kick) | Bellator 233 | November 8, 2019 | 1 | 0:16 |
| Win | 1-0 | Justin Vargas | TKO (Elbows) | Bellator 224 | July 12, 2019 | 1 | 0:54 |