Former UFC women's featherweight champ disputes claims of Kamaru Usman dominating the fight before Leon Edwards' head-kick KO
Ahead of the upcoming UFC 286 event, former UFC women's featherweight champion Cris Cyborg has raised questions about the notion that Kamaru Usman was dominating the fight against Leon Edwards in their rematch at UFC 278.
The highly anticipated event took place in August 2022 and saw Usman's 19-fight winning streak come to a sudden end, courtesy of Edwards' powerful head-kick knockout in the final minute of the fight.
While many claimed that Usman was cruising towards a decision victory, Cyborg begs to differ from this popular notion. She pointed out that Edwards did not even have a black eye after the fight, further disputing the idea that Usman was dominating.
Taking to her Twitter handle, she wrote:
"I see lots of fans saying Usman was dominating @Leon_edwardsmma before the head kick. That is not true. None of those 4 rounds from the last fight would be considered domination. Rocky didn’t even have a black eye after the fight."
Fans were quick to praise Usman's performance in the early rounds of the fight, but Cyborg's comments suggest that the fight was much closer than initially perceived.
Check out Cris Cyborg's tweet below:
I see lots of fans saying Usman was dominating @Leon_edwardsmma before the head kick.
That is not true. None of those 4 rounds from the last fight would be considered domination.
Rocky didn’t even have a black eye after the fight. https://t.co/hEzI9TIJXD
The scales are perfectly balanced between the two skilled fighters, each having emerged victorious in their previous encounters. As the highly anticipated trilogy approaches, the stakes are higher than ever before as both warriors aim to finally put an end to their fierce rivalry and claim ultimate glory in the upcoming event.
Kamaru Usman's last defeat will impact his performance at UFC 286, claims Leon Edwards
Leon Edwards, the first fighter to ever knock Kamaru Usman out cold during UFC 278, is confident that Usman's last loss might impact his performance come fight night.
During a recent interview with BT Sport, Edwards shared his thoughts on Kamaru Usman's potential mental state leading up to their upcoming fight:
"A knockout affects everyone differently. He's right now 35-36 years old, coming off a knockout and fighting the same guy [who] just knocked him out, so let's see how he comes back and how he reacts. [
Check out Edwards' interview below:
With the much-anticipated rematch just around the corner, fans are eagerly awaiting the momentous showdown to see how both fighters will perform. The question on everyone's mind is whether Kamaru Usman will be able to bounce back from his historic defeat at the hands of Edwards and reclaim his throne or if 'Rocky' will continue to make history and secure another victory.