Tue. Jan 14th, 2025

The rounds leading up to Leon Edwards’ Kamaru Usman come-from-behind knockout victory at UFC 278 are a bit of a mystery to him. In the first round, the newly crowned welterweight champion came out strong and even managed to take down Usman for the first time in his UFC career. But as the bout stretched on, Edwards no longer seemed to have the upper hand and was probably doomed to lose by decision.

On that night, many boxers, including Edwards, looked to suffer from the effects of fighting at elevation in Salt Lake City.

“I don’t know why, but when we got out there after the first round, my body completely shut down. It was only an odd sensation. It wasn’t cardio; rather, it seemed as if my body was just not responding. I could plan what I wanted to accomplish in my brain, but my body simply wasn’t cooperating,” Edwards said on the “MMA Hour.” “last Monday. “In the ten battles I had to endure to reach this position and compete for the title, I never once seemed that way. Even while I was engaged in combat, I kept asking, “Man, what the heck is going on?” Simply keep going. I’m aware of his cunning ways, and my body is experiencing it, but keep going and maintain your concentration. Until it is over, it is never really over. I persisted and was eliminated by a crisp head kick.

“The battle would have taken a completely different turn if my body had responded the same way it did in the first round. I felt normal throughout the first round. My body then sort of shut down on me after that.”

The cornermen for Edwards were begging him to get up and join the battle. Dave Lovell, the head trainer for Edwards, said, “You’ve got to quit feeling sorry for yourself!” When Edwards unleashed a vicious head kick that instantly knocked Usman out of the fight in the last seconds of Round 5, he avoided being punished.

Edwards said, “I was really beginning to worry. “It was simply my good fortune that it occurred at such a significant point for me. Man, there’s no way this can happen or play out like this, I thought. I’ve been saying it all week: I believe this is my chance. God placed me in this position to do this. There’s no way God placed me here for this to go to a decision and conclude like this, was the thought that kept running through my brain. I just had to be concentrated and pay attention to my colleagues. fantastic drive They kept me in there and finished me off because they understood how to push my buttons.

“One of my worst performances during my career was that. It’s difficult to put into words the mental state you go through when you have your worst performance at your biggest moment. I mean, what the f—-? Let’s go. Why is this proceeding in this manner? Although it was challenging to experience, it is what it is. Even though it was Usman’s finest effort and mine worst, he still wasn’t able to defeat me. I defeated him when I was at my weakest.”

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After the bout, Usman, Edwards, and UFC president Dana White all agreed that Edwards’ native England should host the rubber battle. The promotion is almost ready to put up its 2023 schedule, but when exactly is the issue.

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“It is undoubtedly what will occur next. I spoke with Dana [White], and we’ll see. I’ll let him take care of his business while we decide on a suitable day. It will be the best of the year. I was going to attempt to fit one in this year, but because I want to go to England, it’ll definitely be around the end of next year “Usman said to TMZ. “I’ve wanted to visit England for a while. I feel like England is my second home now, and England is half Africa. People are unaware of the fact that it is partially in Africa, therefore it is time to go there and amuse my English audience with a suitable tale. The writing on this is flawless. We will absolutely come up with a solution, so I’m interested to see what comes next.”