Chael Sonnen believes Leon Edwards should "find the easiest opponent" as Kamaru Usman doubts surface

The trilogy bout between Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards is reportedly in peril as the No.1-ranked welterweight was recently spotted with his hand wrapped. Former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight title challenger Chael Sonnen shared that he believes the welterweight champion should be looking for an easy opponent if Usman is unable to fight at UFC 286 in March.

uhhhh so are we sure that it’s going to be Leon Edwards vs Usman in London because look at his hand https://t.co/kvbQwNe01P

Speaking on his podcast, Beyond The Fight, Sonnen stated:

"Leon Edwards, at all times, has the same responsibility that every other fight has, which is to get the biggest paycheck against the easiest opponent, and he is the one who should be manipulating this right now. He should not be sitting back if he hears the rumor that Kamaru's got the thing on his hand."

Sonnen continued:

"Leon within two degrees of separation can get ahold of his teammate at Sanford MMA and find out about this wrist thing. He can go right to the UFC. He could get an answer, 'here's a rumor I'm hearing, do I have him?' If any of that sounds shaky, he should instantly be invoking the plan to find the easiest opponent. He should be the one who's creative."

It is still unclear if Usman will be ready to fight by March. However, UFC President Dana White previously indicated that the promotion is looking to schedule his trilogy bout with Edwards as the main event of UFC 286. If the long-time welterweight champion isn't physically fit by then, Edwards will still have a long list of potential opponents for the card.

Watch Chael Sonnen discuss Leon Edwards' options if Kamaru Usman trilogy falls through below (starting at the 4:42 mark):

Kamaru Usman opens up on handling adversity

Kamaru Usman was handed the first loss of his UFC career at UFC 278. The No.1-ranked welterweight had won 19 straight fights, including 15 in the UFC, the second-longest streak in the history of the promotion. Speaking to Megan Olivi, Usman opened up on how he has dealt with adversity, stating:

"I had to make friends with the feeling and once you do, it’s no longer scary. Without hardships, how do you know if something's good, if there's no bad?... Victory is so much sweeter when there's that adversity, so in order for you to get all the fortunes that come with being victorious, you have to be brave enough to go through the hardships, so one thousand percent, I'm a believer that fortune favors the brave."

Usman's fifth-round loss was the first knockout loss of his mixed martial arts career. If he is healthy, he will look to bounce back by reclaiming the welterweight title at UFC 286.

Watch Kamaru Usman's full comments on handling adversity below:

WATCH: 1:1 in my AMA with @MeganOlivi "I'm a believer that fortune favors the brave" 💪👑 ... #fftb #striveforgreatness @cryptocom https://t.co/EV9LaL8d3l