Kamaru Usman sent Leon Edwards a chilling message after UFC 286 ceremonial weigh-ins
Kamaru Usman is brimming with confidence if you go by his chilling message to Leon Edwards following their UFC 286 ceremonial weigh-ins.
The London pay-per-view's main event marks the trilogy between the pair, with both fighters holding one victory over the other. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' got the upper hand in 2015, dominating the British fighter for a unanimous decision victory.
However, at UFC 278 last year, it was 'Rocky's' time to shine as he snatched the welterweight title with that infamous head-kick KO. The 31-year-old's victory not only handed the Nigerian-born fighter his first loss in the UFC, but it was also the first KO defeat Usman had suffered in his MMA career.
"๐ฝ๐ฎ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐, ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐๐๐ก..."
INCREDIBLE footage of Leon Edwards' team drilling THAT head kick KO ๐คฏ๐ฅ https://t.co/iZ7QE4Wpdc
Having spent the last few months preparing for their trilogy, both men looked confident at the ceremonial weigh-ins and ready to put on a show for the fans.
After both fighters stepped onto the scales, upclose footage showed the pair talking smack to one another, with Edwards telling Usman he would be "f***ed tomorrow, bro."
After walking off the stage, Kamaru Usman had his own chilling message for Edwards, where he promised the pair would "talk" inside the octagon:
"Oh he wanna talk now? Tomorrow night we gonna talk in that octagon."
Tomorrow they'll be talking with their fists ๐
@Leon_EdwardsMMA and @Usman84kg are ready to throw down again!! #UFC286 https://t.co/G1kg8p3mfZ
Former UFC fighter Ben Askren predicts Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman 3
Ben Askren believes Kamaru Usman is going to adopt a wrestling-heavy approach during his trilogy bout with Leon Edwards this weekend.
In a post on Twitter, Askren made a rather sensible prediction for UFC 286's main event. The 38-year-old believes that Edwards has a significantly better chance this time around at a victory over Usman, but ultimately feels the former champion will get the nod on the scorecards because of his wrestling:
"What did Leon Edwards acquire in that last fight? What he acquired was hope. The hope is that he can put Usman down at any point in time, even in the fifth round when he's exhausted... Will Usman be more gun-shy because he took a kick to the dome last time? Maybe, maybe not. Usman was clearly, inevitably winning that fight prior to the finish. That being said, I am gonna go with Usman by decision. I think Leon has a significantly better chance than he did last time, but I think Usman's wrestling will be just a little too much."
Check out Askren's predictions here:
Picks for @mybookie_mma mixed with a mental Monday! Getting my workout and sauna in before @ncaawrestling starts at 11am. Donโt forget @ufc 286 main card starts at 4pm tomorrow. @espn @espnmma https://t.co/YPfyXqIkLj
'Funky' was, at one point, considered one of the greatest welterweights on the planet. Following his move to the UFC, it was expected he would soon face Kamaru Usman, but his career in the organization didn't pan out that way.