"That won't be the case, I promise you" - Leon Edwards confident he won't be outwrestled in title fight against Kamaru Usman
Leon Edwards is confident his long awaited welterweight title clash with Kamaru Usman won't be the same as their first fight.
Edwards and Usman first faced each other in the octagon in 2015. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' dominated the bout due to his superior wrestling and walked away with a unanimous decision victory.
'Rocky', who hasn't lost a fight since that defeat to Usman, admitted he relied too heavily on his standup in the first fight and wasn't nearly as good at wrestling as he is now.
Speaking on the Blockparty podcast, Edwards reiterated the fact that both his and Usman's skills have improved in the octagon. The 30-year-old was full of confidence and promised fans they will see an entirely different fight the second time round.
"I'm looking forward to going out there and proving the world wrong. I know everyone thinks I'm going to get outwrestled, blah blah blah. That won't be the case. I promise you. I cannot wait man."
Catch Leon Edwards on the Blockparty podcast here:
Since their bout in 2015, Leon Edwards' success in the octagon has seemingly gone under the radar. An undefeated run of 10 fights, which includes wins over Nate Diaz, Donald Cerrone and Rafael dos Anjos, has only just been rewarded.
Dana White confirmed in March that the Jamaican-British fighter will be fighting Usman for the title next. 'Rocky' is bidding to become only the second-ever UFC champion from the UK, with Michael Bisping being the only UK fighter to accomplish the feat to date.
For champion Kamaru Usman, the win over Leon Edwards 7 seven years ago was another in a long streak of victories. The 35-year-old has only been defeated once in his professional career, which came in his second fight.
Since then, Usman has been on a stunning 20-fight winning run and has defended his welterweight title five times. He'll look to make it six against Edwards on August 20.
Leon Edwards admits he was bored in last fight with Nate Diaz
In June 2021, Leon Edwards stepped into the cage for only the second time since 2019. Despite feeling like he was owed a title shot against Kamaru Usman, 'Rocky' accepted a fight with UFC fan favorite Nate Diaz.
Although much of the crowd was understandably in the corner of Diaz, Edwards remained unphased and delivered a clinical unanimous decision-worthy performance, but with one shakey moment towards the end.
Although the 30-year-old was cruising to a decision victory, Edwards was caught with a strike by Diaz that had him visibly wobbled. Despite the adversity, the British fighter weathered the final storm and had his hand raised in the octagon.
Nate Diaz wobbles Leon Edwards
Glendale, Arizona (2021) https://t.co/l4iZXnh6RZ
In the same podcast episode, Edwards admitted he got caught by the shot because he got complacent, blaming the ease of the fight for why he was bored.
"29 minutes of schooling him, It was so easy I got bored whilst I was fighting him. Otherwise, let's say if it was first or second round, it never would have landed. The reason why it didn't land is because I was alert and sharp."