“He’s one of the G.O.A.T.s” - Teammate jibes at Kamaru Usman’s critics after last-minute KO loss to Leon Edwards at UFC 278
Kamaru Usman’s Kill Cliff FC (previously known as Sanford MMA) teammate Mickey Gall has weighed in on his vicious KO loss to Leon Edwards. Gall hit out at Usman’s detractors and labeled him as one of the G.O.A.T.s (Greatest Of All Time).
The highly anticipated Usman-Edwards rematch transpired at UFC 278 on August 20. Usman was thoroughly outpointing 'Rocky' after round one. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ was ahead 3-1 on the judges’ scorecards up until the last minute of the fifth and final round.
#UFC278
One moment.
One second.
One head kick.
That's all it took for @Leon_edwardsmma to become the new UFC Welterweight Champion! 🏆 #UFC278 https://t.co/azfrOZCCG7
In what was an epic conclusion to their showdown, Edwards secured a last-minute KO of Usman courtesy of a thunderous head kick to capture the UFC welterweight title.
Speaking to The Schmo, UFC welterweight Mickey Gall noted that his teammate Usman’s UFC 278 clash with ‘Rocky’ was a crazy fight. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' splits time training with Gall and other UFC fighters at Kill Cliff FC in Florida and ONX Sports in Colorado.
Every angle of the stunning KO that made @Leon_edwardsmma a champion 🏆
Right. On. The. Money.
#UFC278 https://t.co/rB9SaTz0UD
Needless to say, Gall is more than familiar with the former No. 1-ranked pound-for-pound UFC fighter. Jibing at Kamaru Usman’s critics, he asserted that “the MMA culture’s a little f**ked up.” Gall stated:
“We throw shade on the strong man who’s out there doing the f**king sh**, the man in the arena. Everyone should be giving love to Kamaru. They’re gonna do a rematch, throw it back, you know what I mean, run it back. We’re gonna see what happens again. But props to Leon, and props to Kamaru. Those are the guys that got in there.”
“Our culture needs to switch that sh** up. They see a guy go down, they like to see a strong man go down, make them feel a little better about themselves. But he’s a beast. He’s one of the G.O.A.T.s as well. Kamaru, 100 percent, G.O.A.T.”
Watch Gall discuss the topic at 1:22 in the video below:
Leon Edwards’ coach feels Kamaru Usman might be a "gun-shy fighter" in potential trilogy match
Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman’s series of fights is currently tied at one win apiece. Furthermore, UFC president Dana White has indicated that their trilogy matchup will be next for both fighters and could take place in early 2023 in Edwards' native UK.
In an interview with MMA Junkie, Leon Edwards’ coach Dave Lovell referenced Kamaru Usman’s “bully come forward style” approach to fighting. He opined that the brutal knockout loss might’ve changed Usman forever. Insinuating that Usman may not mentally recover from it, Lovell said:
“Does Kamaru come back a gun-shy fighter? Can he overcome it in this short amount of time, what Dana is talking about? Me, personally, I don't think he can.”
Watch Lovell’s assessment at 23:32 in the video below: