On Thursday, the UFC 286 pre-fight press conference took place at The Magazine, just yards away from the o2 arena in London, England.
Involved were the two men in the co-main event, and of course, the two men that this entire event has been built around, welterweight champ Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman. The crowd made it known right from the start who they were siding with, despite Usman’s hopes of being the more supported fighter.
For the first time in this monumental trilogy, we saw the champion and the former champion get quite heated. From Kamaru mimicking Edwards’ head coach, Dave Lovell, to Edwards telling fans Usman is still concussed, it had a little bit of everything.
On the lead up to this fight, Kamaru Usman has made it clear that he wants to remind Leon Edwards, who Leon Edwards is. When asked by Cageside Press to explain those comments, he said: “Leon and I have faced each other and been in there with each other for almost eight rounds, and at the end of the day we love this, we love the interaction from the fans we love all of that.
“But once we’re locked in there and they lock that door it’s just him and I and it’s my heart versus his heart and so I need to remind him of who he truly is.”
As Usman touched upon, we have seen these two fighters share the Octagon for almost eight full rounds. Back in Salt Lake City though, Leon Edwards showed that all is needed is one split second.
Another narrative that has been heavily touched upon throughout the lead up to this fight, is how different will Usman look after being knocked out for the first time?
His answer? Usman suggested that “He’s an ordinary person he speaks what ordinary people do, but I’m not ordinary, I’m extraordinary and he’s going to find that out on Saturday night.”
The two will put an end to their trilogy this coming Saturday night at UFC 286, in the o2 Arena, London.
