"He gave me a little shove and I'm still not over it" - Kamaru Usman feels he has unfinished business going into the rematch against Leon Edwards
Kamaru Usman will face Leon Edwards for the second time in his career as he looks to defend his welterweight belt for the sixth time at UFC 278.
Usman was recently interviewed by ESPN MMA's Brett Okamoto ahead of the title fight. During the interaction, the champion admitted that there are still moments from his 2015 bout with Edwards that he will carry with him into the rematch.
'The Nigerian Nightmare' said that he has been replaying each moment from the fight in his head, over and over, and that one moment in particular sticks out in his mind.
"And what he said, it stuck with me. I replay the whole first fight, replay his attitude, his mood, his demeanor... He gave me a little shove in that first fight and I'm still not over it. You know, when we weighed in at our staredown, he gave me a little shove. I'm still not over that, and I don't feel like I got enough in that first fight."
Watch the full interview below:
Despite Usman wanting more action from his second encounter with Leon Edwards, he was still incredibly respectful of his opponent, saying:
"Leon is very dangerous, very dangerous. He may not have had those highlight moments yet, but he is very very dangerous. Even myself, I had some highlight moments but most of them came after I became champion. So I don't discredit him."
Kamaru Usman hits out at USADA following early morning drug test
Kamaru Usman is entering the final stages of preparation for his bout with Leon Edwards. With that said, the champion will be hoping that everything runs smoothly before the fight.
Hence, getting woken up at 5am by USADA to complete a mandatory drug test would have been the last thing that Usman wanted. The welterweight king directed a tweet at USADA last week, calling out the organization for its actions.
'The Nigerian Nightmare' wrote:
"Dear @usantidoping, there’s a reason u make us fill out our whereabouts. So U know where we are at all times. Disrupting our sleep at 5am is just plain stupid. Next time I’ll make you guys follow me around all day."
🤬Dear @usantidoping there’s a reason u make us fill out our whereabouts. So U know where we are at all times. Disrupting our sleep at 5am is just plain stupid. Next time I’ll make you guys follow me around all day 😒🤬
Kamaru Usman will be hoping that USADA takes his words seriously enough and allow him to sleep uninterrupted during fight week.