Before their UFC championship match, Leon Edwards suggests Kamaru Usman take the easy way out: Retirement.
UFC welterweight champion Edwards faces Usman in his first title defence, and he isn’t surprised if his opponent loses again.
After their UFC title match, Leon Edwards recommended that Kamaru Usman resign and pursue a career in fashion.
In the main event of UFC 286 at The O2 stadium on Saturday night, Edwards defends his welterweight belt for the first time against Usman, a seasoned adversary. In their rematch, which ‘Rocky’ lost for the majority of the fight, Usman was eventually knocked out with barely a minute remaining for the victory last August. The Brit wouldn’t be shocked if Usman, who had gone almost a decade without losing going into their rematch, announced his retirement from boxing if he dropped the third instalment of their trilogy.
Edwards was “dead on the inside,” according to Usman, as he delivered the knockout shot in their rematch. After dropping the first round, the former champion had the fight under control for the majority of the contest, but Edwards has emphasised that the outcome of the contest is what really counts.
Edwards says, “I think something is out of the door already and I’m going to add to that, just from his mentality and the way he’s moving. Whether he retires after or not, that’s up to him. I heard he flew a stylist over here, our mentalities are in two different places. I feel like he’s on his way out and I’m going to open that door, give him another path to follow his fashion dreams and whatever he wants to do.”
Edwards continues, “Going into the fight he thought he could never be taken down, hurt or knocked out. I think he has find something to clutch onto, he was winning the fight by who cares. It goes down as him getting knocked out cold., that’s all that matters when it’s said and done. Even on my worse day and worse performance I still knocked him out, so winners win.”
When Kamaru Usman faces Leon Edwards at UFC 286 for the third time in his career, he will finally have the opportunity to exact his vengeance. However, how did their two prior fights go?
When the then-champion was in the grip of defeat, “Rocky” would break free and deliver a head kick, giving him his first-ever knockout loss in the cage. It was one of the most famous sporting moments ever to be witnessed. While the outcome will be featured in highlight reels for years to come, Edwards was three rounds to one down on each judge’s scorecards, which meant that “The Nigerian Nightmare” was just seconds away from another successful title defence.
How did the judges’ scorecards look when the two fought back in 2015, knowing what the result would have been at UFC 278 if the judges had been present?
Eight years prior, on December 19, the welterweight mainstays faced off in the octagon for the first time. This was ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’s’ second appearance under the UFC banner. The wrestler demonstrated he was one of the sport’s most potential stars despite being a rookie on the big stage by dominating the Brit for three rounds. With six out of thirteen takedowns and more than triple the number of strikes, Kamaru Usman cruised to a convincing unanimous decision victory. Two judges gave him a 29-28 decision, while the third thought he had done enough to win every round.
Let’s examine the other noteworthy fights that will be on show prior to the exciting Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards main event as the welterweights get ready to take centre stage at the O2 Arena on March 18.
When Justin Gaethje steps into the cage, a fight of the year contender is always a possibility, but this is especially true when Rafael Fiziev, who will compete against Justin Gaethje on Saturday night, possesses all the necessary attributes for combat.
‘The Prospect’ and Lerone Murphy’s all-British fight was postponed due to Nathaniel Wood’s injury, giving Gabriel Santos, a brand-new UFC fighter who has never lost, the chance to take on ‘The Miracle’.
Dusko Todorovic has already proven to be a formidable opponent for many in the sport, but now he must ruin the enormous debut of the incredibly entertaining and former middleweight champion of the Cage Warriors, Christian Leeroy Duncan.
