UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya believes Leon Edwards is the toughest challenger for Kamaru Usman 's title.
Usman makes the sixth defence of his welterweight belt when he rematches Edwards in the main event of UFC 278 this Saturday. The pair met seven years ago when they were both fresh into their UFC careers, with Usman outpointing Edwards in the Brit's only UFC loss to date. Since that fight, Usman has won 13 consecutive fights whilst Edwards is unbeaten in his last 10.
Adesanya is good friends with Usman but thinks 'The Nigerian Nightmare' will be in for his hardest challenge yet this Saturday night. The middleweight king believes Usman's rematch with Edwards will be similar to his 2019 fight of the year against Kelvin Gastelum, of which Adesanya won by a hard-fought decision.
"The biggest threat to Kamaru's throne is Leon Edwards," Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. "I'm going with Kamaru because of his momentum right now. Also, I know how hard he works. Usman is a guy right now that has momentum behind him and I feel like [Edwards] is a guy that deserves this title shot because he's been overlooked for so long. He's not a guy that sells or that talks or whatever, but don't be surprised if this fight looks like me versus [Kelvin] Gastelum. It's going to be who has more heart."
Edwards has been waiting for his title shot for over a year having not fought since outpointing Nate Diaz last June. Usman faced his own lengthy spell on the sidelines after undergoing hand surgery following his win against Colby Covington at UFC 268. Edwards insists nothing about Usman's fighting style amazes him and that his previous loss to the champion is irrelevant heading into the rematch.
Who wins at UFC 278 - Kamaru Usman or Leon Edwards? Let us know your prediction in the comments section below
“I’ve watched it back a few times and it’ll be two different fights," Edwards said of his first meeting with Usman. "Whoever approaches it thinking ‘it’s going to be the same exact fight’ is going to lose. I’ve erased it from my memory and I’m going in there like it’s a brand new opponent, that’s how I’ve planned my camp for it."
"His wrestling and what he does is pretty basic, it's nothing like Khabib [Nurmagomedov] or anything like that. His technique is pretty basic, I think he trains on being tough and the stronger opponent in the cage. His last three opponents are all built like lightweights. I'm going to be one of the biggest guys he's fought, a rangy southpaw that has great grappling."
