"He actually won the round on two of the scorecards" - Dan Hardy provides an intriguing breakdown of Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards 1 ahead of UFC 278 rematch
Ahead of the intense rematch between Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards at UFC 278, Dan Hardy took time to analyze their first meeting, providing an intriguing breakdown of the 2015 matchup.
'The Nigerian Nightmare' is arguably the most dominant champion in the sport at the moment, and has been proving that with elite-level performances in recent years. Only Colby Covington has been equal to the titleholder in the octagon. Despite losing on both occasions, 'Chaos' put up a hell of a fight both times.
In anticipation of the upcoming rematch next weekend, Dan Hardy released an eye-opening breakdown of Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards 1 on his YouTube channel, announcing how the Brit won the opening round of the bout:
"For me, Leon had a really strong first round. He actually won the round on two of the [judges'] scorecards... Anybody taking on Kamaru Usman you go, 'Well, they're gonna need takedown defense.' And Edwards has got 70 percent takedown defense. It's not 100 percent, of course, there is a possibility he's gonna end up on the floor on his back. He did in the first fight, but he also showed really good takedown defense in the first fight."
Hardy pointed out that even though Edwards ended up on the floor, he did not look lost on the ground against an elite wrestler like Usman:
"In the first round, Usman was one for three of takedowns... Just after halfway through the first round, Usman is able to score a takedown... As soon as he [Edwards] recovered guard, he starts to attack with the triangle, and he gets the triangle locked up, and for one minute fifteen, Usman is caught in this triangle unable to progress."
'Rocky' is known for his slick striking and evasive movement on the feet, but his submission game is incredibly underrated and something the welterweight champion should keep in mind heading into their second clash.
Check out what Dan Hardy had to say about the 170lbs title fight in the video below:
Kamaru Usman's key to victory against Leon Edwards at UFC 278
Similar to the first outing, Kamaru Usman may need to utilize his grappling and nullify the striking threat of Edwards. However, there are other routes to victory for the pound-for-pound king.
Since training with Trevor Wittman, the 35-year-old has come leaps and bounds in the striking department. He is now comfortable keeping the fight standing with anybody in his division.
After seeing Leon Edwards get rocked and almost lose to Nate Diaz during their fight at UFC 263, Usman could overwhelm the challenger by mixing his wrestling and striking throughout the five-round contest.