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New footage has shown UFC champion Leon Edwards talking Rio Ferdinand through a rear naked choke \u2013 and even allowing the ex-footballer to apply the hold on him.<\/p>\n
Ferdinand, who represented Manchester United and England during an illustrious playing career, recently visited Edwards at his gym in Birmingham, interviewing the welterweight champion for TNT Sports.<\/p>\n
The pair discussed Edwards\u2019s 2022 title win, which made him Britain\u2019s second UFC champion ever, as well as the 32-year-old\u2019s upcoming defence against Colby Covington.<\/p>\n
Ahead of that fight, which headlines UFC 296 in Las Vegas on 16 December, Edwards showed Ferdinand how to apply a rear naked choke \u2013 a common submission in jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts. Edwards applied the hold on Ferdinand before allowing the 45-year-old to try it himself (which you can see at the top and bottom of this article).<\/p>\n
The pair entered the ring at Edwards\u2019s gym and sat on the canvas, with Ferdinand positioned behind the fighter. \u201cThis [left] arm around my neck,\u201d Edwards explained. \u201cPull me to your chest. You want to apply this [left] arm to your [right] bicep, and then that [right arm] behind my head.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you\u2019re gonna open your chest,\u201d Edwards said, before laughing as the choke came into effect. \u201cSorry!\u201d Ferdinand laughed, before the champion reiterated: \u201cOpen your chest up and squeeze [with your arms].\u201d<\/p>\n
Edwards won the UFC welterweight title with a stunning knockout of Kamaru Usman, stopping the Nigerian-American with a head kick in the final minute of their bout in August 2022. Edwards was behind on the scorecards at the time of the finish, which saw him avenge a points loss to Usman from 2015.<\/p>\n
Edwards then retained the title against Usman in a trilogy bout in March, outpointing the former pound-for-pound No 1 at London\u2019s O2 Arena.<\/p>\n