5 adjustments Leon Edwards must make to defeat Kamaru Usman at UFC 286
Leon Edwards is scheduled for his first title defense at UFC 286. The reigning welterweight kingpin will be tasked with turning away Kamaru Usman's efforts to reclaim his divisional throne. Despite emerging victorious, their previous clash at UFC 278 was almost a repeat of their initial clash.
'Rocky' spent long stretches in both fights being thoroughly outwrestled by 'The Nigerian Nightmare'. The only difference between their first two bouts was that instead of Usman securing another unanimous decision win, he was flatlined by a last-minute knockout in one of the greatest comebacks in UFC history.
For their upcoming trilogy bout, Edwards cannot allow his hopes to hinge on potentially landing the same shot. He must develop a gameplan that can reliably earn him at least three of the five rounds he'll be in. These are some of the adjustments he'll need to consider.
#5. Leon Edwards must use elbows in the clinch
One of the most curious details about their initial rematch was the complete absence of Leon Edwards' patented elbows in the clinch. Any time his opponents try to trap him in the clinch, 'Rocky' responds by using his forearm to frame it against their jaw and shoving their heads away to create space for himself.
Leon Edwards' elbows are just devastating đź’Ą
Masterful.
#UFCLondon https://t.co/RgXvZGSfOG
This is especially effective against wrestlers as they typically try to turn in towards their opponents to secure a strong inside angle for a takedown. This, however, is what Leon Edwards wants because he uses his other arm from his opponent's non-framing side to counter them with elbows as they turn into him.
He magnifies his chances of landing these elbows by stepping across his opponents, which forces them to turn towards him—and into the path of a counter-elbow. Kamaru Usman often pursues takedowns in the clinch, but 'Rocky' didn't use any elbows last time. This time, he must make his foe pay.
#4. Leon Edwards must use his traditional southpaw weapons to counter Kamaru Usman's jab
Jabs are measuring tools from which fighters build combinations. The logic behind the jabs is simple: if a fighter can land their jab, then they can land their right cross. Kamaru Usman's greatest weapons in the striking phase are his jab and right cross. Fortunately, Leon Edwards has developed counters for the jab.
🥊 Burns likes Leon’s chances against Usman
🎙 I'm telling you right now, Leon Edwards is very underrated…..a striker, long and a southpaw…..I know Kamaru pretty well, but that fight is gonna be close..imo, Colby, Khamzat, and Leon, Leon has the best chance to beat Usman” https://t.co/DEaWB6JKao
He relies on a southpaw stance which enables him to use his lead hand to trap an orthodox opponent's lead hand to neutralize their jab. For some reason, 'Rocky' didn't use his lead hand at UFC 278 to counter his foe's jab. In their trilogy bout, he must consistently neutralize 'The Nigerian Nightmare's' jab.
Doing so will convince Usman to abandon his jab and switch to a southpaw stance. Unfortunately, if Usman resorts to throwing southpaw jabs, he'll find himself being repeatedly stunned by Edwards' looping cross-counter over the top: the Englishman's greatest weapon against southpaw jabs.
#3. Leon Edwards must stop exposing his back during anti-wrestling sequences
One of Leon Edwards' worst habits is his tendency to expose his back to counter takedowns. This was a common occurrence at UFC 278. Every time Kamaru Usman attempted a takedown, 'Rocky' turned onto his stomach to use his hands and feet to push against the mat to stand up.
Unfortunately, doing so left his back consistently exposed. The issue with doing so is that he renders himself exceedingly vulnerable to chokes, especially rear-naked chokes. Fortunately for the reigning champion, Usman has no offensive Brazilian jiu-jitsu to speak of. Most of the Nigerian's grappling revolves around wrestling.
So what happens is that Edwards makes him vulnerable to mat-returns, which is what Usman used against him. Every time 'Rocky' exposed his back, Usman secured a back-clinch and a trip to drag him back to the mat every time he tried to stand.
Being frequently mat-returned is part of the reason 'Rocky' was so exhausting. If he hopes to preserve his cardio against 'The Nigerian Nightmare', he must avoid being mat-returned. Instead of exposing his back, he should use his counter-elbows in the clinch and immediately disengage from grappling afterwards.
#2. Leon Edwards must target Kamaru Usman's knees
MMA fans have heard stories about Kamaru Usman's compromised knees over the years. Due to wear and tear from the years he spent as a wrestler, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' has permanently damaged knees. They're in such poor condition that he can't jog or run without subjecting himself to extreme pain.
Kamaru Usman’s knees are so bad that he can’t even walk on concrete???? https://t.co/pmCWQggmIw
Due to the condition of his knees, Usman is exceptionally vulnerable to low kicks, push-kicks to the knees, and oblique-kicks. Given his overreliance on jabs, the former welterweight champion often exposes his lead leg as he extends his stance while jabbing. Leon Edwards is a frequent oblique-kicker who can counter him.
Every time 'The Nigerian Nightmare' steps forward with a jab, 'Rocky' would do well to counter him with oblique-kicks to the knee. Doing so will compromise his foe's ability to shoot for takedowns and will render him a less mobile target.
#1. Leon Edwards must make Kamaru Usman pay for slipping punches
The winning exchange at UFC 278 involved Kamaru Usman slipping on the outside of what he thought was a straight left. Instead, it was merely a fake to dupe him into moving his head into the path of a thunderous head kick. Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson once noted that the Nigerian's slips were risky.
It's still my favorite KO this year!
Kamaru Usman-Leon Edwards
https://t.co/jJCwZuxdpq
Usman doesn't use minor movements when slipping punches. Instead, he dips his head at an angle in an exaggerated motion. He slips his head with a much wider and longer arc than regular slips. This means he's particularly vulnerable to strikes that also have wide, long arcs.
If Leon Edwards steps inside the octagon with a mind to punish his rival for frequently slipping straight punches by countering him with looping punches and head kicks. While he can't expect to repeat the knockout blow from the previous fight, he must present consequences for Usman's worst tendencies.