Leon Edwards fires back at Kamaru Usman for claiming he is still the better fighter despite KO loss at UFC 278
Leon Edwards fired back at Kamaru Usman for claiming he is still the better fighter despite his fifth-round knockout loss at UFC 278.
During his appearance on Actually Me on British GQ's YouTube channel, the reigning welterweight champion went online and replied to tweets. He mentioned that he proved that he is the better fighter because of what transpired when they recently fought.
He said:
"You can think what you want to think. The proof is there, in the pudding. Like I said, I'm the champ and that's it. He keeps going around saying, 'We all know who the champ is.' Yeah, the guy that knocked you out. That's who the champ is, you know." [1:11 - 1:21]
'Rocky' then went on Quora and clearly had fun answering a question on how he defeated Usman to win the welterweight championship. He provided a detailed answer and compared 'The Nigerian Nightmare's mindset to his own during the fight, saying:
"By kicking him in the head. Not looking past me but I feel like he wasn't as focused as he should be. Being undefeated for eight years, never been taken down with a little bit of arrogance. I think he thought he couldn't be beaten and my sole objective was to go out there and win the fight." [4:37 - 4:51]
Edwards will look to silence the doubters and prove that his win over Usman wasn't a fluke and complete their trilogy with back-to-back wins.
Check out the full video:
Leon Edwards hopes to get more attention for British MMA fighters
Leon Edwards vs Kamaru Usman at #UFC286!! 🇬🇧
TEN days until the trilogy in London! https://t.co/1vQR8dEt5B
Leon Edwards definitely skyrocketed in popularity after his comeback knockout win against Kamaru Usman with less than a minute remaining in their title fight. He had a passionate post-fight interview that made both himself and his corner emotional.
During the affromentioned video, Edwards answered a question regarding his popularity in the UK and noted that he hopes to bring more attention for British MMA fighters competing on the same card.
He said:
"I'm the second UFC champion in history of the UK now. So for me to go back home now and sell out a stadium show, it benefits everybody. There's lots of guys coming up under me. I want to use my platform to put more on them because they all want to buld a sport." [1:56 - 2:08]