Kamaru Usman will face Leon Edwards for the second time in his career as he looks to defend his welterweight belt for the sixth time at UFC 278.
Kamaru Usman was recently interviewed by ESPN MMA’s Brett Okamoto ahead of the title fight. During the interaction, the champion admitted that there are still moments from his 2015 bout with Edwards that he will carry with him into the rematch.
‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ said that he has been replaying each moment from the fight in his head, over and over, and that one moment in particular sticks out in his mind.
“And what he said, it stuck with me. I replay the whole first fight, replay his attitude, his mood, his demeanor… He gave me a little shove in that first fight and I’m still not over it. You know, when we weighed in at our staredown, he gave me a little shove. I’m still not over that, and I don’t feel like I got enough in that first fight.”
Despite Kamaru Usman wanting more action from his second encounter with Leon Edwards, he was still incredibly respectful of his opponent, saying:
“Leon is very dangerous, very dangerous. He may not have had those highlight moments yet, but he is very very dangerous. Even myself, I had some highlight moments but most of them came after I became champion. So I don’t discredit him.”
Watch the full interview below: