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Kamaru Usman is reportedly set to defend his UFC welterweight title in a rematch against Leon Edwards at a UFC event that’ll take place on July 2nd later this year. According to Ariel Helwani, Usman will be ready to return to the octagon this summer despite just recently having undergone hand surgery.
Helwani posted a tweet regarding the highly-anticipated Usman-Edwards 170-pound title matchup. The renowned MMA journalist wrote:
“Despite Kamaru Usman’s recent hand surgery, Leon Edwards’ team has been told he’ll be ready to return by the summer. So they are hoping they finally get their title shot around that July 2 International Fight Week date.”
Usman recently underwent surgery to repair a ligament in his hand. UFC president Dana White notably posted a photo of the gnarly injury. Additionally, Usman’s manager Ali Abdelaziz spoke to ESPN and confirmed that his client is looking to return to the octagon during International Fight Week.
Abdelaziz revealed that Usman is likely to return at UFC 276 on July 2nd. The event is purportedly scheduled to take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Usman’s most recent fight was a unanimous decision win in a rematch against Colby Covington at UFC 268 in November 2021. Meanwhile, Leon Edwards’ most recent bout was a unanimous decision win against Nate Diaz at UFC 263 in June 2021.
Michael Bisping believes Kamaru Usman will beat Leon Edwards in their rematch
The first fight between Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards was a three-round welterweight matchup. At UFC on FOX: Dos Anjos vs. Cerrone in December 2015, Usman defeated Edwards via unanimous decision.
Usman subsequently went on to capture the UFC welterweight title and defend it multiple times. Meanwhile, Edwards has since won 9 of his last 10 fights, with the only blemish being an NC (No Contest) due to an inadvertent eye poke against Belal Muhammad.
Michael Bisping, during a 2022 preview for BT Sport, chimed in with his take on their upcoming rematch. Bisping picked Usman to beat Edwards once again. That said, ‘The Count’ insinuated that as a fellow representative of the U.K., he’d like 'Rocky' to dethrone 'The Nigerian Nightmare'.
Bisping said:
“Leon Edwards will go up against Kamaru Usman and he’ll probably get beat, but for the sake of this conversation, I’m gonna say Leon Edwards will be the champion [by the end of 2022] because I’m a dreamer! I’m a Brit, I believe in him! The hype is real. He’s there for a reason. He hasn’t been given this position, he has earned it!”
Watch Michael Bisping give his take on the Usman vs. Edwards 2 matchup below:
