"That's like dropping LeBron if someone dunked on him" - Joe Rogan says "sponsors can go f**k themselves" for abandoning Kamaru Usman after loss to Leon Edwards
Joe Rogan has blasted sponsors who turned their backs on Kamaru Usman after 'The Nigerian Nightmare' lost to Leon Edwards.
In a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, the UFC commentator spoke about Usman with filmmaker Will Harris. Harris said that certain sponsors had ended their relationship with Usman after his recent loss.
Hearing this, Rogan criticized those sponsors and drew parallels between Usman and basketball star LeBron James:
"All those sponsors can go f**k themselves. If you drop Kamaru Usman because of a one-kick knockout in a sport... that's like dropping LeBron [James] if someone dunked on him... What are you talking about? Like, this is what the sport is and that is the consequences and those consequences are available even to the greatest champions. If you get head-kicked, that's it. That's the button... It was clean. There was no surviving that. That's how it is. That's the sport."
Watch Rogan and Will Harris discuss Usman below:
Usman went up against 'Rocky' in the main event of UFC 278. As the fight was nearing its end, it appeared that 'The Nigerian Nightmare' would cruise to a unanimous decision victory. However, Edwards pulled off a spectacular head-kick knockout in the very last minute of the fight.
Chael Sonnen does not believe Kamaru Usman will be Leon Edwards' next opponent
Coming into his fight against Leon Edwards at UFC 278, Kamaru Usman had successfully defended his title five times. So, it would be fair to assume that the loss to 'Rocky' warrants an immediate rematch between the two.
Former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen doesn't seem to think so. Speaking to MiddleEasy, 'The American Gangster' opined that the UFC might keep the 35-year-old on the sidelines and match Edwards up against Khamzat Chimaev for a title fight.
Sonnen added that the winner of the contest could go on to fight Usman:
"I don't believe that Kamaru Usman is going to be fighting Leon next. I believe that Kamaru's next fight will be for a belt. I think they're gonna keep Kamaru on ice. I think Chimaev vs. Leon is a real possibility with the winner drawing into Kamaru... I think that when you have those three and you're gonna match 'em up, the order does matter. And I think what I just presented is a more viable order."
Watch the video below:
Chimaev is currently undefeated with a 12-0 record. The way 'Borz' has been running through his competition in the UFC, it might not be long before we see the Chechen-born Swede in a title fight.
Do check out the video below on YouTube boxers who can take on MMA fighters: