Kamaru Usman is currently sitting on the wrong side of history.
And that is a part of his story he fully intends to rewrite. Usman lost in dramatic fashion to Leon Edwards in the main event of UFC 278 last summer, getting knocked out by a head kick with less than a minute remaining in the fifth round. Despite controlling the second, third, fourth and vast majority of the fifth, standing close to a unanimous decision and a record-tying victory, Usman instead became an enduring part of Edwards’s highlight reel.
“He got me,” says Usman, who lost his welterweight title to Edwards. “He broke me. Now he gets to taste what it is like to be champion.”
For someone who rarely suffers defeat in the cage, Usman (20–2) claims he is not haunted by the moment. And there is no reason to question his authenticity.
Sitting in his hotel room in London while sipping on a cup of lemon ginger tea, Usman articulated his passion about an opportunity to rewrite history when he meets Edwards for a third time—he won the initial bout in 2015—for the welterweight title this Saturday at the O2 Arena in the main event of UFC 286.
“Everyone keeps asking me if I’m bothered by [the knockout], and I keep thinking, ‘Is there something wrong with me that I don’t care about the moment?’” says Usman. “It’s not the first time I got kicked. I come from a Dutch kickboxing gym where everybody blasts legs and head kicks. I don’t think about it. It doesn’t faze me at all. It’s just a reminder to not get lazy and keep my hands up, a reminder to not stop until the work is done. I know I’ll see the replay over and over and over. That is what it is, but all I’m thinking about is going out there and competing.”
Usman had seemingly broken Edwards’s spirit over an 18-minute stretch in their bout at 278. He was on the cusp of making history, tying the great Anderson Silva for 16 consecutive victories in the UFC, further cementing his legacy as one of the greatest of all time. Then came the head kick, and in an instant, the sudden end of his title reign.
“I think even Leon forgot what was happening in our fight before that leg kick,” says Usman. “So I’ll go out there and remind him who he is, and that’s the second-best guy in the division. It’s time to show the world why I am the best.”
Usman still presents himself as a champion, even without the belt. He handled a difficult loss with grace and never hesitated to credit Edwards for winning.
“I’ve done a lot in this sport,” says Usman. “I’ve beat up a lot of guys and sent them home sad. In all of that, I’ve grown to love and respect this sport. I’ve grown to understand what winning does to someone, and I’ve grown to understand what losing does to someone. I’m blessed with the opportunity to compete, and I’m blessed with the opportunity to provide for myself and my family. But it’s bigger than me. Every fight is an opportunity to inspire millions around the world. I need to show the way to deal with being victorious, as well as show the way to deal with defeat. I aim to be gracious in victory, and I aim to be gracious in defeat.”
The defeat did not erode Usman’s confidence; instead, it emboldened it.
There is not even a morsel of doubt in his mind that he is the more complete mixed martial artist. Following five successful title defenses, responding to this unexpected loss against Edwards is precisely the type of challenge Usman craved—whether or not he realized it.
“When I was first introduced to this great sport, I remember watching Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard,” says Usman. “I watched their great trilogy, and I wanted, even back then, to be part of something so massive. What I failed to take into consideration is, in order for there to be a trilogy, I had to lose.”
Usman laughs. An unstoppable force in the cage, he had ripped off 19 consecutive victories before Edwards knocked him out. The thought of losing still remains foreign to him, causing him to break out in laughter. His smile is infectious, breaking up a serious conversation about overcoming obstacles. After a brief pause, he continues to capture what this fight—this opportunity—signifies to him.
“God blessed me with this position, to be part of something so great,” says Usman. “It’s my first time here in London, and I’m here to do my job: dominate this fight from start to finish. It is a blessing to be in this position. It’s a blessing to be heading toward that destination of greatness. I got kicked off the horse, but I’ll get back on and ride to my destination. That’s all this is. This is a chance to show my daughter that, if you stumble and fall, you get back up.
“I aim to inspire in this fight. I am the best welterweight in the world. I don’t have the gold right now, but even the guy with the gold understands that I am the better mixed martial artist. This Saturday, I get a chance to go in there and prove that. Even losing the belt, my mindset is still the same. I’m looking to dominate and beat up my opponent. That’s my plan for Saturday.”
An underrated aspect of this bout is that it marks Edwards’s first defense of the title. That is entirely new territory for the champ, uncharted waters full of pressure and expectations. It is also a terrain that Usman knows intimately.
“This is where I thrive, this is where I excel,” says Usman. “Leon’s never been here. He doesn’t understand how difficult the first title defense is. And he has to do it at home, with his family and friends sitting right there, against a guy that dominated seven out of eight rounds. Leon’s got his work cut out for him.”
Despite suffering the most devastating loss of his career, Usman is moving in only one direction: forward. He vows that will also be the case in the Octagon, where he intends to finish what he started, rewriting this chapter in his legacy.
“I want to take his title. I want to take his soul,” says Usman. “I’d love to do both. I always want my opponents to walk and say, ‘I never want to fight that guy again.’ I have to teach Leon that. It was really starting to sink in until he threw a Hail Mary and it landed. So now I have to go in there and remind him and then come home with that big gold belt.”
Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com . Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.
