“I’m not over it” – Kamaru Usman wants to beat up Leon Edwards for THIS reason at UFC 278
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Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards
Kamaru Usman is already considered the greatest welterweight of all time by many. Being in the position that he is right now, one might think Usman has no motivation left to fight. The Nigerian Nightmare, however, is fired up to face Leon Edwards in the title fight due to personal reasons.
Having a personal grudge against your opponent who you are about to fight is always fuel to your motivation. Sometimes fighters reach far to make things personal with their opponent before they unleash everything they’ve got inside the octagon. Kamaru Usman already is one of the greatest to ever do it and has one of the most decorated careers as an MMA fighter. It is almost as if the Nigerian Nightmare has nothing to prove anymore in his career.
Usman has broken several records in the welterweight division and is now lapping his weight class by rematching with opponents that he has already beaten. Kamaru will now face Leon Edwards, his former rival, in a welterweight title fight at UFC 278. It is not easy to find the motivation to go through training camps if you have nothing to fight for. Luckily, Usman holds things close to his heart and wants to get a satisfying win against the British fighter.
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Kamaru Usman reveals the incident that upset him about Leon Edwards
We have only a week left before we see the welterweight king back in the octagon. The fight is set to happen in Salt Lake City and Kamaru Usman is as motivated as ever to put on a show for the fans. Ahead of his main event fight, Usman sits down with Brett Okamoto of ESPN MMA for an interview and talks about his motivation leading up to this Edwards rematch.
“What he said, it stuck with me. I replay the whole first fight, replay his attitude, his mood, his demeanor,” said Kamaru on how he finds the fuel to go against his opponent. “He gave me a little shove in that first fight and I’m still not over it. You know, when we weighed in at our staredown, he gave me a little shove. I’m still not over that, and I don’t feel like I got enough in that first fight,” added Usman on why this is personal for him.
Usman and Edwards fought each other at UFC on Fox 17 back in 2015. The fight ended in a decision favoring Usman. The Nigerian Nightmare wants a more satisfying win this time. Usman is yet to be defeated in the UFC while Edwards has put on a fantastic winning streak. Leon is surely a way better fighter than he was 7 years ago. Do you think Leon will be able to dethrone Usman?
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Prateek Athanur
(2944 Articles Published)