Kamaru Usman has issued a statement following his majority decision loss to Leon Edwards at tonight’s UFC 286 event in London.
Usman (20-3 MMA) and Edwards (21-3 MMA) collided for a third time this evening with the promotion’s coveted welterweight title up for grabs.
Kamaru Usman had entered the Octagon looking to rebound from his title loss to Leon Edwards this past August. That setback, which was a brutal head kick knockout, had marked Usman’s second career defeat and his first loss since 2013.
Meanwhile, Edwards had entered the UFC 286 main event sporting a ten-fight winning streak, his most recent being the aforementioned knockout victory over Usman at UFC 278. Coincidentally, Leon’s most previous defeat had come way back in December of 2015, when he was outpointed by ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ at UFC on Fox 17.
Tonight’s UFC 286 main event proved to be a thrilling back and forth five-round affair. Leon Edwards was able to land a plethora of kicks throughout the twenty-five-minute contest, battering the lead leg of the former champion. Kamaru Usman was able to earn four takedowns in the bout, but ultimately struggled to keep the Birmingham native on his back. Although ‘Rocky’ had a point deducted in Round 3, he still did enough to emerge victorious on two of the judges’ scorecards.
Official UFC 286 Result: Leon Edwards def. Kamaru Usman by majority decision (48-46 x2, 47-47)
Usman was very respectful in his post-fight interview but did note that he thought he had done enough to get the win.
Most recently, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ took to Twitter where he issued the following statement on tonight’s setback.
A special thank you to my management, family, friends, and fans. I appreciate each and everyone of you. Wasn’t my night but as always we go back to work. Congratulations @Leon_edwardsmma great work 🤜🏿🤛🏿👏🏿
— KAMARU USMAN (@USMAN84kg) March 19, 2023
“A special thank you to my management, family, friends, and fans. I appreciate each and every one of you. Wasn’t my night but as always, we go back to work. Congratulations @Leon_edwardsmma great work 🤜🏿🤛🏿👏🏿”
Although it was a very close fight, UFC President Dana White made it clear at the post-fight presser that Colby Covington will be the next man to challenge Leon Edwards for the belt.
Who would you like to see Kamaru Usman fight in his next Octagon appearance? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
