Kamaru Usman is preparing to show Leon Edwards who he is at UFC 286.
There is a much-anticipated trilogy fight on the horizon in the UFC. Welterweight champion Leon Edwards will be pitted against Kamaru Usman for an immediate rematch. In their last meeting, it seemed as though Usman would be sailing to a decision victory after winning on the scorecards but Edwards had another plan. He knocked out Usman in the final minute of the fight and walked away as the champion. Usman has done a lot of reflecting following his first loss in ten years and is now ready to remind the people and his opponent just who he is.
Right now each man holds a win over the other but on March 18 at the O2 Arena in London, the score will be settled.
Kamaru Usman wants to remind Leon Edwards who he is, less than
For the first time in Usman’s UFC career, he must come back from a loss. As he gears up for their rematch he is getting back to his roots. He is the subject of a YouTube film called Prelude to a Trilogy by Anatomy of a Fighter and spoke about his mindset a bit.
“For me it’s extremely imperative that I continue to be honest with myself, I have always been honest with myself all through my career,” he said. “And I have to continue to do that now. I can’t lie to myself and try to trick it because once it gets in, your heart truly knows. And so, I try to be as honest with myself as possible.”
Not only was the loss to Edwards the first in many years but it was also the first time Usman was knocked out in the competition. He knows he has the skills to win but must learn from his mistakes in the last fight in order to do so. He wants to show his opponent who he is and also remind him that he is better.
“There is a process of course, when you get hit with a certain technique, you have to now try to make sure that that doesn’t happen again. And so it’s just a matter of me still remembering who I am,” he said. “Going in there being mindful of what has happened, but ultimately, reminding him who he is. Who is less than.”
Edwards is coming into this bout with the confidence of a win but also the pressure of doing it again on his mind. Both men are determined to win and know that what happened before will not have too much effect on the next one. The circumstances are different than the previous two times these men fought. Whoever ends up on top this time we’ll continue on to defend the belt. The loser will have some more work to do.
