Kamaru Usman reveals having flashbacks of Leon Edwards fifth-round KO loss during Joaquin Buckley fight: "What a statement that would be"

Kamaru Usman recently revealed that he had flashbacks of his infamous knockout loss against Leon Edwards in his fight against Joaquin Buckley this past weekend.

Coming off a three-fight skid, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' redeemed himself with a decisive victory over Buckley at UFC Atlanta on June 14. In a recent interview with MMA journalist Brett Okamoto, Usman described doubting himself in the fifth round, recalling his headkick knockout defeat to Edwards at UFC 278. He said:

"There was a moment in my head, where I was like, 'He's throwing so hard, you can catch him and knock him out right now. Then, I remembered the last time I had that thought, round five, Salt Lake City, Utah, Leon Edwards. He's broken, you can knock him out right now. There's a minute left, I'm like, 'I'm not gonna knock him out. But, let's go ahead and use this footwork.'"

Check out Kamaru Usman's comments below:

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Kamaru Usman expresses interest in potential Dricus du Plessis fight

With a win over Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta this past weekend, Kamaru Usman is determined to regain his position as the welterweight kingpin. In addition to that, he also eyes a potential superfight against Dricus du Plessis for the middleweight belt.

'Stillknocks' is scheduled to lock horns with Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on August 16. In an interview with TMZ Sports, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' shared his plans for the future, stating:

"After getting that [welterweight] belt, hey, they [UFC] have asked and they've waited for years and years for me to go up and get that middleweight strap, and why not? I will relinquish that if Dricus du Plessis is still the champion, all African card. Africa vs. Africa, first card in Africa. UFC is close to getting that done. Hey, South Africa vs. Nigeria. If things start to fall in line, I think we're gonna see a pretty interesting next 18 months."

Check out Kamaru Usman's comments below:

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About the author

Sunil holds a Bachelor of Science degree in visual communication. He started his professional career in 2023 and has previously worked with FirstSportz and Levitate Studios, among other organizations.

Sunil was drawn to MMA by Conor McGregor, especially the Irishman’s crossover boxing bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017. His favorite fighter is Jorge Masvidal for his wild and unorthodox approach.

Surprisingly, ‘The Notorious’ and ‘Gamebred’ do not find a place in his Mt. Rushmore, which includes Chuck Liddell, Anderson Silva, Alex Pereira, Daniel Cormier, and Khabib Nurmagomedov. He feels ONE Championship’s Rodtang Jitmuangnon has the ability to succeed in the UFC due to his power.

Sunil is of the opinion that the UFC is not doing enough to prevent eye pokes and does not mind soccer kicks in MMA.

In his free time, he likes to watch anime and films in general. He’s also a boxing historian, having gotten into the sport watching videos of fighters like Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran.

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Edited by Sunil Krishnan