"I thought he peaked but he's now getting better" - Geoff Neal weighs in on Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards
Geoff Neal has given his prediction for the upcoming title fight between Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards. While the UFC welterweight is happy that Edwards was able to to secure a title shot, 'Handz of Steel' has Usman winning the upcoming UFC 278 headliner.
According to Neal, 'Rocky' hasn't been active enough lately for him to have a fair idea of the Englishman's skillset. The 31-year-old also believes that Usman, who he had previously assumed to have peaked, is still getting better. Asked to make a prediction for the highly-anticipated showdown, 'Handz of Steel' told James Lynch in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA:
"Usman. Honestly, I'm glad that Leon is finally getting his shot, for sure. He's been campaigning for it and he's been doing what he gotta do. Honestly, I don't know, I haven't seen enough from Leon lately to really make a judge on his skills right now. But Usman... I thought he peaked but he's now getting better. So, you know what I mean. I have him winning that fight."
Watch Neal's interview with Sportskeeda MMA below:
After going unbeaten in his first five UFC outings, Geoff Neal ended up on the wrong side of consecutive unanimous decision losses against Stephen Thompson and Neil Magny.
'Handz of Steel' has since bounced back, earning a split decision win over Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 269. The Texas resident is now scheduled to meet Vicente Luque on August 6.
"It’s been seven years of game planning"- Leon Edwards on his upcoming title fight against Kamaru Usman
Leon Edwards faced Kamaru Usman for the first time in 2015 where 'The Nigerian Nightmare' outgrappled 'Rocky' to earn a unanimous decision win. It was Edwards' last UFC loss and the Englishman has since racked up a stellar nine-fight win streak.
Meanwhile, Kamaru Usman went on to become the welterweight champ and continues to reign supreme atop the 170 lbs division.
Although it took him a while, 'Rocky' has finally secured a rematch against 'The Nigerian Nightmare', this time with UFC gold at stake. As per Edwards, he has been gameplanning for a rematch against Kamaru Usman since their first fight, seven years back.
The Englishman also considers this to be the perfect time for a rematch and believes that he would not have been fully prepared a few years back. The 30-year-old said during a recent media scrum in London:
“It’s been seven years of game planning and how we would approach it and what would be the difference between then and now. This is what I’ve been working for and envisioning for many years now. I always said I will be fighting for the world title, I always said I was No. 1 in the division and it took a longer road to get to the point where I’m at now. But I believe that road made me a better fighter. Three of four years ago I probably wouldn’t have been ready. I truly believe this is the right time for me to fight for the title and I’m excited.”
Watch Edwards' appearance at the presser below: