Since the announcement of Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman 2 at UFC 278, the buzz has seemed to be radio silent – but perhaps this is because of how far away this fight is and potentially fight fans want to be more focused on UFC 276, which is an insanely stacked fight card in itself. Once the dust settles from the UFC’s International Fight Week, attention will likely turn to the rematch that has been years in the making.
A Different Path, Same Goal for Leon Edwards. vs Kamaru Usman 2
Leon Edwards is living up to his ‘Rocky’ nickname, facing and overcoming adversity at every turn. Even after a win, Edwards would find himself in front of another roadblock. Through hard work and determination, he always prevailed. Just look at his fight with Nate Diaz – he was completely rocked late in the contest and found a way to stay in the fight and score the decision. Unfortunately, MMA isn’t like the movies. In the ‘Rocky’ films, the fans loved the heart and dedication to stay in the fight. In reality, the MMA critics have routinely disregarded Edwards as a number one contender.
What some forget is that Edwards has racked up quite a winning streak leading to the rematch with Usman, who has been the only man to have beaten ‘Rocky’ since December 19, 2015. Edwards has had Usman on the brain since that loss and hasn’t let the naysayers creep into his mind as he tries to get back that decision loss and take revenge by winning UFC gold.
It has been a different path for Kamaru Usman as his mentality was not fixated on a past opponent. Once he secured the UFC Welterweight Championship, he went into defense mode and has taken on all welterweight challengers like Gilbert Burns, even leaving no doubt when he beat Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal twice during his reign.
Some fans might think they know how a fight will play out and might feel a rematch is kind of stale for a PPV main event, but occasionally divisions need rematches like these as a push to continue growing.
Who knows, this article is being written so early and if you are superstitious, it may jinx fight fans. Something could happen that may leave us waiting for this title fight a little longer. Let’s just hope the MMA gods keep this fight together and we are blessed with a special rematch that was worth the wait.
Are you Team Edwards or Team Usman when they lock that Octagon door on August 20? Let us know in the comments below.
Featured image credit to Embed from Getty Images
Featured image credit to Embed from Getty Images
