LAS VEGAS – According to UFC president Dana White, the pressure of being welterweight champion might’ve been starting to get to Kamaru Usman.
After five title defenses and a remarkable 15-0 record in the UFC, Usman, previously the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, suffered his first octagon defeat when he was dethroned by Leon Edwards this past Saturday.
Usman (20-2 MMA, 15-1 UFC) was in firm control heading into Round 5, but with one minute remaining, he was caught with a stunning head kick that put him out cold. Usman said he is ready for a trilogy with Edwards (19-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC), but White revealed that his situation was all starting to weigh on the former champion.
“We talked. He’s in great spirits,” White told reporters, including MMA Junkie, on Tuesday. “Obviously he wants the rematch bad, but he said, ‘I can’t tell you the weight that’s been lifted off me.’ There’s a lot of pressure that goes along with the run that he was on and tying and breaking Anderson’s record. All that stuff, there’s a lot of pressure. So, he’s looking forward to the rematch.”
White had high praise for Edwards, too, who had to endure a tough road to becoming champion. The Brit had six fights scrapped, including three against unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev, before he finally got his title shot.
“He’s down. He’s ready to defend,” White said. “He’s ready to take on whatever it is. He’s going on a whirlwind media tour when he goes home. A lot of stuff changes when you get that belt, so his whole world is about to change in the next few weeks, but he’s ready for it.
“Talk about somebody that’s had nothing but bad luck, and one of the things that we’re talking about is that kid accepted the Khamzat fight two or three times, who was unranked. He’s legit, man. That kid is legit and was down to fight anybody, anytime, anywhere. He just had a really great string of bad luck.”
