"Was that really necessary?" - Henry Cejudo questions Herb Dean's decision to separate Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards moments before spectacular KO

Henry Cejudo (left); Herb Dean, Leon Edwards, Kamaru Usman (right) [Image courtesy of @MMArena_/Twitter]

Henry Cejudo, one of the four double champions in UFC history, believes that one moment in the recent welterweight championship fight altered the outcome. Leon Edwards shocked the world with his fifth-round knockout of Kamaru Usman, but Cejudo believes a referee decision made that possible.

On his podcast, The Triple C & Schmo Show, Cejudo was asked by his co-host about his fifth-round claim that the fight was "easy money." Cejudo responded by stating that he didn't feel that he jinxed the fight:

"Oh, so that's what this scenario is all about, I'm the one that jinxed it. Come on, Schmo. I did say easy money, right before - maybe there's probably about two minutes left in the fight just because Kamaru Usman was dominating."

Cejudo continued to add that a decision by referee Herb Dean may have had a big impact on the fight:

"If you really think about what happened in the fifth, how Herb Dean pretty much put them back on the feet, that's what changed everything. If you really think about it, I mean, was that really necessary?"

Dean's decision to separate the fighters did impact the fight, as it is unlikely that Leon Edwards would have landed a big head kick from the clinch. While the decision changed the outcome of the fight, as Kamaru Usman was set to win without a finish, it was still up to Edwards to execute, which he did to perfection.

Watch Henry Cejudo's full comments below:

Henry Cejudo shouldn't have called the fight before it ended

Henry Cejudo is a double champion who has competed in combat sports nearly his entire life. While he obviously didn't 'jinx' the outcome of the fight, he should also know that a fight is never over until the final bell.

“Hey Ali, easy money bro, easy money”

Great content. https://t.co/husyjgs52z

Cejudo noted on The Triple C & Schmo Show that he was just excited for his friend, stating:

"I did say easy money, and if you listen to the audio, Ali did say 'it's not easy money'. In other words, he was telling me 'dude the fight isn't over'. I just got excited you know, just homies."

In fairness to Cejudo, outside of the first round, Usman had been dominating the fight up to that point and looked well on his way to another title defense.

#UFC278 Official Scorecard: Kamaru Usman vs Leon Edwards (@Leon_EdwardsMMA)

View All Official Scorecards: ufc.com/news/official-… https://t.co/9NsMFAwLIC

Edwards' comeback is one of the many things that makes mixed martial arts such a great sport. No matter how dominant the other fighter may look, all it takes is one moment and you are never out of it until the fight is over.

Revisit Leon Edwards' knockout of Kamaru Usman below:

Leon Edwards knocking out one of the most dominant fighters in the UFC https://t.co/cK6TDxRjF5