Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards aren’t known for talking a lot of trash, but when they talked about how their first two fights went, they definitely got a little heated.
Before he scored a comeback knockout in the fifth round, Edwards was questioned about the altitude in Utah for their rematch and how much it affected him prior to the trilogy that will headline UFC 286. He acknowledged that it played a significant role, but he anticipated no similar difficulties on Saturday at home in London.
That’s when Usman came in to ask Edwards about their first fight in 2015, when he won by unanimous decision after largely dominating the fight.
“Why did we fight in the first place?” Edwards heard directly from Usman.
“What is your justification for the f****** head kick you received?” Edwards terminated back.
The exchange excited the London crowd, but Usman quickly responded by reminding Edwards of what happened before his stunning head kick knockout, which ended the fight with less than one minute left.
After replays showed Edwards’ head coach giving the British welterweight a passionate pep talk between rounds to try to get him fired up, Usman also did his best impression of Edwards. Edwards had to get a finish to win the fight because Usman was ahead by three rounds at that point, and he did just that.
“I threw my hands down. Regarding the head kick, Usman stated, “There is no excuse.” Beautiful technique; you landed it with my hand.
“Why did you get your head beaten in the three rounds before it?” You had to beg, your coach! Rock, come on! Son, you’re being bullied! In the first fight, you let him bully you, and now you’re letting him bully you again! Son, don’t allow him to bully you! Rock, get out of his way, he’s bullying you, son!
“Don’t let him bully you, son!” Usman shouted repeatedly. as Edwards simply responded with a grin.
“He has a blackout,” Edwards said. ” He has no idea what he is referring to.
The heated exchange raised the stakes significantly, with Edwards attempting to demonstrate that his late knockout in the rematch was not a fluke and Usman attempting to reclaim the UFC welterweight title after largely dominating their first two fights with the exception of the head kick that ended his reign as champion.
