Getty ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 10: UFC light heavyweight, Tyson Pedro poses during a UFC media opportunity at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on October 10, 2018 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by James Elsby/Getty Images)
UFC light heavyweight Tyson Pedro credits his incredible return to mixed martial arts to a fight with his father where he ended up losing two teeth.
After being on the sidelines for four years due to multiple knee issues, Pedro was close to calling it a day on his career. The 30-year-old made possibly the greatest comeback in UFC history when he knocked out Ike Villanueva inside the first round. He might have walked away had it not been for a gnarly event that transpired between his father and him.
Pedro is set to face Harry Hunsucker on the main card of UFC 278 on Aug. 20 in Vivint Arena, Salt Lake City. Ahead of the upcoming bout, Pedro and his father revealed the details of the vicious fight they got into that ended with Pedro getting stabbed deep in the chest and losing two of his front teeth.
“It was supposed to be a trick,” John told the Daily Telegraph. “I had this trick where I’d throw the knife out,” John says, motioning away from his body with the right hand. “Then catch it again with my left. And mostly, it worked. But that one day, I guess my left hand was a little slow.”
John Told Pedro To Walk It Off
Prior to that point, John – an American Samoan and self-proclaimed ‘hood rat’ – had already knocked his son’s front two teeth out and despite leaving Tyson heavily bloodied, he told onlookers not to intervene as there was still ’80 seconds left’ in the fight.
The self-titled ‘hood rat’ prohibited any onlookers from trying to interfere in their action even after leaving Pedro all bloody.
“He was dazed, bloodied, there were guys at the gym wanting to jump in and save him. But that’s never happened in my world. And why I told the boys to f… off. The life I’ve known, nobody comes to save you. That’s not real.
“And I wanted my son to know that when it came time to get up in life, to really get up, nobody was going to be there for him. Which eventually, is exactly how it happened.”
Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards 2 Will Headline UFC 278
The reigning welterweight champion Kamaru Usman will mark his return to action against Leon Edwards in the headlining bout of UFC 278. They had previously clashed in Dec. 2015, with Usman coming out on top of that contest comfortably.
Coming off a win over Nate Diaz in his latest outing, Edwards will be looking to avenge his loss and get the strap in the long awaited title shot. He had been rallying for a chance at the gold but for one reason or another, he could not get the booking earlier.
Other than Diaz, he has only fought once since July 2019, and even that bout ended in a no contest after an accidental eye poke.
Usman has proven to be a dominant champion lapping past top-ranked contenders in his division, beating them convincingly twice. It seems like he is getting bored of the 170 lb weight class and looking to move up to 205 lbs if things go his way in Utah.