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MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz has addressed his client Kamaru Usman's rumored hand injury and potential withdrawal from his upcoming fight. Usman is expected to face UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards in their highly-anticipated trilogy matchup at UFC 286, in Edwards' native UK on March 18th, 2023.
However, there's lately been widespread speculation that Usman is nursing a hand injury and might pull out of the Edwards matchup. Late last year, UFC welterweight mainstay Stephen Thompson suggested Usman was dealing with hand injury issues. 'Wonderboy' added that he'd like to fight Edwards if 'The Nigerian Nightmare' is unable to compete at UFC 286.
While Thompson later backtracked on his statements, the speculation concerning Usman's hand injury soon reached another crescendo. The former UFC welterweight champion hosted the FaceOff Fight Night series last month in Lagos, Nigeria, wherein he appeared to be sporting a hand brace.
One ought to note that Kamaru Usman has long been battling hand injury problems. He entered his rematch against Colby Covington in November 2021 with a pre-existing hand injury, which worsened during the fight.
Usman underwent hand surgery in early 2022 and subsequently faced Edwards in a rematch in August 2022. He lost the welterweight belt to Edwards. Following that, Usman is reportedly recovering from another hand injury.
On that note, many in the MMA community have been discussing possible replacement fighters who could fight Leon Edwards if Kamaru Usman can't. Regardless, Usman's manager Ali Abdelaziz has now taken to Twitter to reassure his client will fight 'Rocky' next. Abdelaziz tweeted:
"Please enough with the rumors, Kamaru is fighting León next, he is good to go. We bringing this belt back to where it belongs."
Chael Sonnen on which fighters could potentially replace Kamaru Usman against Leon Edwards at UFC 286
In an edition of Beyond the Fight, MMA fighter-turned-analyst Chael Sonnen weighed in on Kamaru Usman possibly withdrawing from his UFC 286 showdown against Leon Edwards. He opined that Edwards' longtime rival Jorge Masvidal or top contender Belal Muhammad could replace Usman and fight 'Rocky' for the title.
Chael Sonnen alluded to the fact that the much-discussed number-one contender's welterweight bout between Colby Covington and Khamzat Chimaev hasn't been officially announced yet. He indicated that it's likely because the UFC intends to book Covington or Chimaev against Edwards at UFC 286, in case Usman's injury forces him out of the event. Sonnen stated:
"I like the idea of a backup fighter, and possibly, there is some truth to this. Possibly that is why Chimaev versus Colby, which we would all like to see, never moved forward. Perhaps we need one of those guys."
Watch Sonnen's assessment at 2:40 in the video below:
