Kamaru Usman admits a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders after his title loss to Leon Edwards at UFC 278.
Usman, 35, was on his way to making the sixth defence of his welterweight belt against Edwards in their rematch last weekend, but with less than a minute left Edwards brutally knocked him out with a Hail Mary head kick. It marked the first time Usman had been knocked out in his professional career and ended his nine-year unbeaten run.
UFC boss Dana White has since revealed Usman is in good spirits despite the loss and feels a lot of pressure has been taken off of him. “We talked, he’s in great spirits,” White said of Usman. “Obviously, he wants the rematch bad but he said, ‘I can’t tell you the weight that’s been lifted off me.’ You know, there’s a lot of pressure that goes along with the run that he was on, tying and breaking Anderson [Silva’s] record, all that stuff, there’s a lot of pressure. He’s looking forward to the rematch."
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Edwards became the first Jamaican-born and second Britsh champion in UFC history by dethroning Usman. His win sets up a potential trilogy with Usman, with Edwards insisting his first title defence must take place in the UK. White said Edwards is on cloud nine after his win and thinks is life is about to drastically change for the better.
"I saw Leon today too. That kid’s walking on water and couldn’t be higher than he is right now. He’s down, he’s ready to defend. 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. His whole world’s about to change in the next few weeks but he’s ready for it," White said.
The UFC is scouting potential UK venues for Edwards' first title defence, with the promotion likely targeting stadiums rather than arenas in which they have previously held Fight Night events at. There hasn't been a UFC pay-per-view event in the UK for six years and White predicts Edwards' homecoming fight will not only be huge for the UK but Europe as a whole.
"This thing is going to be so huge not just for the UK but for Europe. We would hold it during prime time in the UK. We're looking at all the venues in England, not just London, we're looking at everything. There's a lot of curfews and things you've got to deal with England. We put a Fight Night on sale at The O2 and it sells out in minutes, imagine what we can do with this ting. It's going to be massive," he added.
