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Vicente Luque believes UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman will get his hand raised against Leon Edwards at UFC 278.
According to 'The Silent Assassin', Edwards could make the matchup interesting with his fighting style but, eventually, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' will take home the victory. Luque explained his prediction during a chat with 'The Schmo':
"I mean, I think Leon can, you know, bring some new things to the table and make it challenging but I still believe Kamaru will remain champion. he's been dominant. He's pound-for-pound number one and he has been looking really great. Leon has all the props, 10-win streak, he deserves that title shot but I think that Kamaru wil keep that title."
You can watch the full Vicente Luque interview below:
Usman and Edwards will collide in a rematch at UFC 278 in August. The event will take place at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. Other exciting matchups like Paulo Costa vs. Luke Rockhold and Jose Aldo vs. Merab Dvalishvili are also expected to take place on the card.
What happened in the first bout between Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards?
When Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman first faced each other in the octagon, they were both rising prospects in the UFC. The two locked horns in December 2015 in a three-round welterweight contest.
'The Nigerian Nightmare' emerged as the better fighter that night, scoring a unanimous decision victory against Edwards. The three judges scored the contest 29-28, 30-27 and 29-28 in favor of 'The Nigerian Nightmare'.
After the loss, 'Rocky' bounced back and went on a tear in the 170-pound division. The 30-year-old went undefeated in his next 10 fights and defeated names like Nate Diaz, Rafael dos Anjos, Gunnar Nelson, Donald Cerrone and Vicente Luque. This impressive run earned him a shot at UFC gold.
Usman, on the other hand, went on a winning spree himself by getting his hand raised 13 consecutive times since his first encounter with Edwards. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' also won the UFC title in the process and has successfully defended it five times.
At UFC 268, the two welterweights will compete against each other after nearly seven years. Come fight night, it will be revealed who has grown more as a fighter since their first scrap in 2015.
