Kamaru Usman has admitted to being in unfamiliar territory after back-to-back UFC defeats to Leon Edwards.
Usman, 35, lost his welterweight title last August when Edwards knocked him out with a head kick despite losing the majority of the fight. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' attempted to win back his world title against Edwards in their trilogy fight last month at UFC 286, but Usman was beaten again by his rival after a hard-fought five rounds.
The former champion had never been beaten in the UFC before his consecutive losses to Edwards, but now finds himself in a strange spot having dominated the welterweight division for several years. "I don't say to say I'm in a weird spot but it's kind of unfamiliar territory," Usman said on Hotboxin' with Mike Tyson. "I got into the sport and it was just like 'I'm gonna be the champion' that's it. There wasn't another plan, it was just 'I'm going to be the champion one day'.
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"Every run and extra swim I did was leading towards that. That was always it for me, but then I got there and I was like 'This is cool'. It just grew more and more, I was doing this show and that movie. I remember asking my coaches before I became champion if the fights got easier once you get to the top. He said it gets worse because it gets heavier and heavier."
Edwards will likely defend his title against Colby Covington next whilst Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad meet at UFC 288 next month to decide the next title challenger after Covington. Despite his recent losses, Usman insisted that he is still the best welterweight in the UFC.
"I know that I am the best welterweight for sure, I know that. I'm in a place where I'm falling in love with the sport again. I'm doing certain things and feeling stronger. I'm liking that process again, when I look back at my path to becoming champion it was all about the journey," he said.
Whilst reflecting on his reign as champion, Usman also offered some rare praise to former opponent Covington as he said his bitter rival made him a better fighter. "For me the right dance partner was Colby, there was so much built up in that fight. As soon as the fight was over I was walking through a casino in Vegas with everyone coming up to me," he added.
