Leon Edwards details overcoming fatigue to KO Kamaru Usman at UFC 278 - ‘Even on my worst day I defeat[ed] him’
The newly crowned UFC welterweight king Leon Edwards recently looked back at his fight against Kamaru Usman at UFC 278.
In the lead-up to UFC 286 in London, Edwards interacted with MMA media. During his time there, 'Rocky' shared details on how he overcame fatigue and got the better of 'The Nigerian Nightmare' at UFC 278.
"Even though I was tired, he couldn't hurt me. I wasn't hurt really. It was more of a fatigue issue...Even on my worst day, I [defeated] him. He's improved from when we first fought but so have I, you know," said Leon Edwards.
You can watch Edwards' full interaction with the media below:
Usman and Edwards will lock horns for the third time at UFC 286. Their first encounter took place in December 2015. That night, Usman emerged victorious via unanimous decision.
The two then faced off in a rematch in August 2022. This time, the UFC welterweight belt was on the line. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' was cruising his way to a decision victory but Edwards landed a devastating head-kick in the last minute of the fight, knocking Usman out cold.
The two will look to settle their rivalry with a trilogy bout at UFC 286.
Leon Edwards believes the knockout loss might have an impact on Kamaru Usman come fight night
With his historic win over Kamaru Usman at UFC 278, Leon Edwards became the first fighter in history to knock 'The Nigerian Nightmare' out cold. Now, 'Rocky' believes that the brutal knockout loss might have had an impact on Usman, who is now 35 years old.
The Birmingham fighter iterated the same during an interview with BT Sport.
"Right, for him, the fight was going his way... I can't see him in the space of five-six months now being a totally different fighter, I just can't see it happening... A knockout affects everyone differently. He's right now 35-36 years old, coming off a knockout and fighting the same guy [who] just knocked him out, so let's see how he comes back and how he reacts."
Edwards also mentioned that he had never lost a fight in the United Kingdom and believes that it will not change anytime soon.
Catch Leon Edwards' comments below: