UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards, currently ranked No. 2 at 170 pounds, has remained perfect across his last 10 fights and will once again battle Kamaru Usman; however, this time their contest will be scheduled for 25 minutes with “The Nigerian Nightmare” putting his division strap up for grabs.
Simply put, “Rocky” is one of the best welterweight fighters in the world.
Unfortunately for the 30 year-old Edwards (19-3, 1 NC), dopey Nate Diaz fans who value hero worship over critical thinking somehow convinced themselves Edwards lost the fight simply because Diaz put him on rubber legs in the final frame of their 2021 showdown.
So what exactly happened in their UFC 263 grudge match?
“24 minutes of schooling him, it was so easy I got bored while I was fighting him,” Edwards told the Blockparty podcast. “Otherwise, let’s say if it was first or second round, it never would have landed. The reason why it didn’t land is because I was alert and sharp. I thought ‘okay, this fight’s kinda easy, it’s last minute,’ but then he caught that shot. It’s something I’m working on now with my coaches, to stay sharp all the way through.”
He felt more than just the punch from Diaz.
Edwards will need to do more than just be sharp against Usman. He’ll need to remain absolutely perfect against the pound-for-pound king — and hope “The Nigerian Nightmare” makes some mistakes along the way. Usman (20-1) has won all 15 of his fights under the UFC banner with five consecutive title defenses.
Their five-round headliner is locked and loaded for the UFC 278 pay-per-view (PPV) main event on Sat., Aug. 20, 2022 from inside Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, a bout that will undoubtedly have this undefeated contender watching from cageside.
For the current UFC 278 fight card and PPV lineup click here.