"At least 3 months off" - John McCarthy believes Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards 3 "should not happen" before March 2023
Former UFC referee John McCarthy has stated that the trilogy fight between new welterweight champion Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman should not happen until March next year.
In a new episode of the Weighing In podcast, McCarthy reiterated that Usman deserves a rematch for the fight but should wait until next summer:
"Yes, he [Usman] deserves an automatic rematch. But, he does need to take some time. It should not happen here until the summer of 2023. If you're thinking about it, he should be taking at least three months off. You can do little things, but no f****** sparring or something like that, not getting knocked out the way he did. December, close to, start your training. March or April, I'm good with."
UFC president Dana White also stated that he might plan to have the trilogy fight at Wembley Stadium in London next year. However, White has previously shut down talk of a stadium show in the UK over weather concerns. Edwards is just the second UK fighter to win gold in the UFC after Michael Bisping and would love to make his first title defense in his home country.
Former champ Usman was a minute away from tying Anderson Silva's record of 16 successive wins before Edwards delivered a stunning head kick to stun the world and become the new welterweight champion. The moment is undoubtedly one of the biggest comeback stories in the sport's history.
Watch John McCarthy discuss the UFC 278 main event below:
'Big' John McCarthy explains downfall of dominant champions after Kamaru Usman's loss
John McCarthy used Usman's dominant reign to make a claim that most people can’t understand the intensity of things directed towards champions who've been dominant for a long time in the UFC. He added that these champions have no inexperience and face multiple challenges throughout their careers.
The former referee noted that not everyone can manage a win on a bad day while also failing to handle responsibilities as a champion:
“People – and I don’t wanna say normal people – but normal people, like me, you have no f**king concept of what is thrown towards that fighter. And at the age of 30, 28, 29, 30, 31, how you deal with that. I tell people I don’t think I would’ve dealt with it well either. It’s hard for someone to deal with that in the proper fashion. That, sometimes, is the start of the downfall of a lot of guys.”
Usman will now aim to challenge Edwards in a trilogy fight next year, hoping to win back the welterweight crown from the Brit. The former champion is no longer unbeaten in the UFC but will be extremely motivated to return to the top of the division with a rubber match soon in the offing.
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