Khabib Nurmagomedov Was Surprised And Upset Over Kamaru Usman’s Loss

Khabib Nurmagomedov says he was surprised and upset by the loss suffered by Kamaru Usman at UFC 278.

Khabib Nurmagomedov
Khabib Nurmagomedov and UFC on Instagram

Khabib Nurmagomedov reacted to the shocking loss suffered by Kamaru Usman at UFC 278.

UFC 278 saw some shocking defeats and incredible fights. The main event was a crazy comeback fight for the newly crowned champion Leon Edwards as he knocked out Kamaru Usman in the fifth round. The loss by Usman came as a shock to many following his dominant run as the champion of the welterweight division. One man who reacted to this upset was former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. 

Former champion Khabib Nurmagomedov gave his honest reaction to the 278 main event fight

Nurmagomedov was in attendance at his Eagle Fighting Championships event the day after Usman’s loss and gave his heartfelt reaction to the fight. The video was captured by Ушатайка and dubbed in English by Mr. MMA Shorts on YouTube.

“Honestly, I was surprised, you could even say it a little bit upset because I have a good friendship with Kamaru and of course, it was hard to watch as the best fighter in the world, who he is right now, getting knocked out severely with 50 seconds remaining in the bout,” he said.

The majority of the bout looked as if it was going Usman’s way on Saturday night until a head kick by Edwards ended the night early. The loss broke a 15-fight winning streak by Usman that included five title defenses. Nurmagomedov is widely considered one of the best MMA fighters to have ever fought. He never lost a fight in his career but knows just how difficult it is to remain perfect in a tough fight such as the one between Usman and Edwards. 

“Yes I was thinking of this is essentially how the contest will finish,” Nurmagomedov said about how he thought the fight would play out. “Just like he did to everyone else but these fights are MMA and you can see for yourself for a second it all went wrong, put his hand in the wrong place, your lights can go out if the proper defense is not in place. You can wake up in the locker room and it’s over.”

Khabib Nurmagomedov thinks Usman has more in his tank and should not retire just yet

Nurmagomedov famously retired early in his career at 32 years old. Some think that perhaps it was premature, but he remains happy in his post-fight career both coaching other fighters and running his fight promotion. Usman is now 35 and when asked if Nurmagomedov believes it is time for him also to step away, he gave his thoughts. 

“I am aware that the trilogy is already in the works. I believe he can beat me on Edwards but after such a knockout a lot of people don’t recover. It will be interesting to see but I would love to see the trilogy, they are 1-1,” he said.

Usman was the champion for so long that an immediate rematch seems logical, however, there are some other contenders who have been creeping up the rankings. Khamzat Chimaev has been getting the “golden prospect” treatment and with a win over Nate Diaz could be next for the new champ.

Published on August 22, 2022 at 9:55 am
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