"I'm going to beat on his face until he quits" - Kamaru Usman on how Leon Edwards fight will go down
Kamaru Usman has revealed his game plan for a potential title defense against Leon Edwards down the line. Usman previously said he'd like to defend the title against the Englishman in July during international fight week. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' recently weighed in on how a potential rematch with Edwards might play out.
Kamaru Usman confirms targeted UFC return date as Leon Edwards lies in wait
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The duo fought each other for the first time back in 2015 when Usman emerged victorious via unanimous decision. For the rematch, the reigning welterweight champ said he won't be looking to stand and trade strikes with 'Rocky', something he has been doing in his last few fights.
Since he started working with coach Trevor Wittman in 2020, Usman has displayed a ton of improvement in his striking game, picking up brutal stoppage wins against Jorge Masvidal and Gilbert Burns. Although he's adept at keeping the fight on his feet, he claims he'll play to his strengths and take the fight to the ground against Edwards.
During a recent interaction with MMA Junkie, the Nigerian-born American said:
"He said that if I step in there with him, I won't be striking the way that I am now, so I'll oblige. I'll give it to you, I will not strike. I am coming in to wrestle, I'm going to take him down, I'm going to beat on his face until he quits so don't expect me to strike at all. No, I'm going to wrestle, don't expect me to strike, don't expect me to strike since since I'm not a good striker. Don't expect me to strike, I'm coming to take him down and I'm going to beat his face."
Watch Kamaru Usman's interview with MMA Junkie below:
Kamaru Usman previews potential clash against Canelo Alvarez
Kamaru Usman has recently been teasing a potential crossover boxing matchup with pound-for-pound great Canelo Alvarez. If he manages to successfully defend the title against Leon Edwards, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' wants to exchange leather with Alvarez inside the squared circle next.
Kamaru Usman has Canelo Alvarez in his sights:
How would this ‘fight’ go?
👀 Kamaru Usman has Canelo Alvarez in his sights:
🗣 “In 2022, I’m gonna’ shock the world. September, Mexican Independence Day. I will stop Canelo.”
😳 How would this ‘fight’ go?
#CaneloBivol https://t.co/Nx18li5hnn
According to Usman, a potential clash between him and Alvarez is likely to be more entertaining than the 2017 blockbuster matchup between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather. The UFC champ pointed out that Mayweather's defensive style of boxing made the fight seem lukewarm to some fans.
Explaining why his fight with Alvarez would be different, Usman said:
"Floyd is the absolute best defensive fighter we've ever seen... Even though he took a different approach in that fight that was still that type of fight. I'm a fighter, I'm gonna come to fight. I'm always marching forward to fight [and] so is Canelo Alvarez. He's marching forward to fight, he's not sitting here just trying to dodge punches the whole time."
It'll be interesting to see how this crossover bout plays out if it does come to fruition.