Kamaru Usman believes he’ll see Leon Edwards in the Octagon again before all is said and done.
The former welterweight champion indicated as much when speaking to Daniel Cormier in the Octagon following a majority decision loss to Edwards in the UFC 286 headliner at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday. Edwards has won two of the three meetings with Usman in a rivalry that dates back to 2015.
“I think I did enough to win the fight, but I knew it was a close fight,” Usman said “Great game plan. Great game plan. You know, I’ve always said it from the start: I knew I’d see Leon again, and we did it. I’m not done. I’ll see him again, but he put on a hell of a game plan. I’ve always given him props for everything he’s been able to accomplish. He’s a brother, like myself. Much respect. London, you’ve got yourself a hell of a guy, a great champion.”
Not so fast, says Edwards.
“Probably not. Probably not,” Edwards said at the UFC post-fight press conference. “It’s been three fights now. I want to move forward in my career. I look toward different fights.”
Edwards’ earning a chance to move on from the Usman rivalry is a credit to his ability to limit what his opponent does well. In addition to outstriking Usman on the feet, the Englishman either denied his opponents takedown attempts or returned to his feet upon being grounded. That prevented Usman from racking up valuable control time.
“I think it just proved how much I improved over the years,” Edwards said. “I wasn’t able to show in my performance [at UFC 278] in Utah because of the altitude. I think that showed now that altitude played a big part in my performance. Kamaru’s a tough opponent, he’s got a great team behind him. But I believe it’s my time.”
With that being said, there is no bad blood between Edwards and Usman. While tensions are bound to run high between two athletes who fight three times, that ultimately leads to mutual respect being forged in the Octagon.
“It’s just competitive,” Edwards said. “I wish him well in whatever he chooses to do next. There was never no beef between me and Kamaru. We both just thought we were the better man. That was it. You heard his words after the fight, and I wish him well. This sport is hard, so yeah – respect to him.”
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