"It was funny to watch, the guy was too much high up" - Khamzat Chimaev feels Kamaru Usman's dreams of fighting Canelo Alvarez disappeared after head-kick KO loss to Leon Edwards
Khamzat Chimaev has weighed in on the recent title fight between Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards, which took place at UFC 278.
'Borz' recently sat down for an interview with Brett Okamoto for ESPN MMA ahead of his own fight this weekend. At one point during the conversation, the Chechen-born Swede commented on Usman vs. Edwards, suggesting that Usman's constant push for a boxing match with Canelo Alvarez might not bear any fruit now that he has lost in the UFC.
Chimaev also thinks that 'The Nigerian Nightmare' might never be the same after the brutal knockout loss at UFC 278.
"Crazy fight. Yeah, good fight. I learned a lot of things... It was funny to watch. The guy [Usman] was too much high up and you know, 'I'm gonna fight with Canelo' and things, you know. And he gets shot. He [wasn't] focused... Leon [came] and shot his head and dropped the guy. I don't think he'll [ever] be the same guy again."
You can watch the full interview below:
Usman faced Edwards for the welterweight title in the main event of UFC 278. The contest was going the champion's way, but in the last minute of the fight, 'Rocky' landed a brutal headkick that knocked 'The Nigerian Nightmare' out cold, resulting in Edwards being crowned the new champion.
#UFC278
One moment.
One second.
One head kick.
That's all it took for @Leon_edwardsmma to become the new UFC Welterweight Champion! 🏆 #UFC278 https://t.co/azfrOZCCG7
Kamaru Usman weighs in on Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz
After just five UFC appearances, Khamzat Chimaev will headline his first pay-per-view event in the promotion at UFC 279. 'Borz' will take on MMA royalty Nate Diaz in a five-round welterweight matchup.
During his appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast, Kamaru Usman called the matchup "bizzare." He added that Khamzat Chimaev needs to defeat Colby Covington to be truly deserving of a title shot.
"You can't [count out Nate Diaz], but it's a bizarre fight. It's a bizarre fight that doesn't really make sense. I still think it's hard to just say Khamzat [gets the next title shot]. You gotta jump Gilbert Burns, you jump Masvidal... I think what's more interesting is him versus Covington. That's the ultimate test, because Covington does everything... Yeah, it's Covington, you gotta get past Covington."
Catch Usman's thoughts in the JRE clip below: