"I think you're going to have a long fight here"- Chael Sonnen gives his take on the how the rematch between Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards is going to play out
Kamaru Usman faces Leon Edwards in the main event of UFC 278, and Edwards represents a serious sleeper challenge for the dominant welterweight champion. In Chael Sonnen's mind, Edwards could definitely walk away from Salt Lake City the new champion.
In a new video breaking down the UFC 278 main event, Sonnen explained what made Edwards so dangerous to Usman.
"I think you have a very long fight here. Leon Edwards is able to check a box. It's the box of an intangible ... One of those things is conditioning, who can push harder, longer. I don't know that Leon is better than Kamaru in that regard but I will tell you that Leon can match Kamaru. And before you can ever beat Usman you have to be able to match that pace and that endurance."
Leon Edwards talks about what went wrong in the first fight with Usman and his mindset going into the rematch. 👀 https://t.co/IoDGnqOvDE
Sonnen also noted that Leon Edwards has not only experienced Kamaru Usman's wrestling, he has had enough time to prepare and counter it.
"He'll push you to the fence and he'll take you down to the mat ... but if you have a very disciplined opponent that knows to keep his back off the fence, keep things in the open, how to work his way back to the feet, and Leon's been given almost six years, six years from the first time that he was introduced to the experience he'll have to go through for the championship this week, and that same experience against the same guy. It's enough time."
Sonnen finished his prediction video by saying he saw a 60% chance Usman would win and 40% chance Edwards would win. And while Kamaru Usman may never end up in any serious danger, the rounds could be close enough for Leon Edwards to take it. In the end, though, he had 'The Nigerian Nightmare' retaining his title.
Watch Chael Sonnen break down Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards below:
Kamaru Usman is serious about fighting for the light heavyweight belt
Kamaru Usman says he's completely focused on his upcoming defense against Leon Edwards, but that hasn't stopped him from thinking about bigger fights in his future. Leading up to UFC 278, he's floated the idea of boxing Canelo Alvarez, and fighting for the UFC light heavyweight title.
During a UFC 278 media day interview, Usman made it clear that he was serious about both propositions. He said:
“I stated that I wanted it. After this win, Dana and I will sit down and we’ll have a conversation. You guys think that I kid when I come up here? I usually laugh when I’m kidding, but I’m not kidding. Everyone thought I was playing with the whole Canelo situation. I wasn’t.”
Usman said he wasn't claiming he could run through the 205-pound division, but he believed he could win a light heavyweight title fight. He even suggested a bout against Jon Jones, who is currently preparing to make his heavyweight debut.
With new welterweight contenders like Khamzat Chimaev knocking on his door, it's hard to imagine the UFC agreeing to these unusual superfights.