Kamaru Usman Reminds Leon Edwards That He Took His “Soul” Twice

Former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has reminded British fighter Leon Edwards how he took his “soul” twice ahead of their highly anticipated trilogy bout at UFC 286 at the 02 Arena in London.

Usman was on the verge of tying Anderson Silva’s UFC win streak record (16) before losing to Edwards in August after the Englishman scored a fifth-round knockout victory and won the welterweight belt.

Before their Saturday main event battle, Usman appeared on The Pivot Podcast.

Since his highlight-reel knockout, Edwards has been understandably elated and chatty, but Usman has every intention of reminding him of what transpired within the first 24 minutes of their UFC 278 fight as well as his 2015 victory.

He said, “It’s going to be a little bit more difficult this time”.

“In his head, he forgot about the four rounds before the kick. He forgot that I was taking his soul, so I have to remind him that I’m someone who took his soul twice.”

Usman, a Nigerian kick-boxer, says he might need to make a few minor adjustments, but for the most part, he expects it to be simply another day at work.

Usman asserted that his dominance inside the Octagon turned fans against him and caused many spectators to watch purely in hopes of seeing him lose.

He said, “There are minor adjustments I have to make, but whenever you go into a fight, there’s a lot more going on than what the public can see. There’s a lot that I have to battle through just to make it to the fight.

“I’ve never been in this position, but I know that mentally, nothing has changed for me. This is the same guy that I beat up before. He’s still going to be the same guy. I have to remind him who he is right away. When I fight guys, I fight their hearts because I want to break their hearts. I want to break their spirit and break their soul.”

Usman continued, “When you’re successful, it’s almost like everyone is sitting back waiting for you to lose.

“That’s what I think the knock on Floyd Mayweather was. He was so successful and perfect at the craft that people bought his fights just to watch him lose. Once it happened to me, it was the kick heard around the world.

“The kick was the only weapon he used that worked. It was just a good kick. It was something that I knew that I didn’t do a good job, or I didn’t do as well as I should have to stop it. But it was just a beautiful kick. Hat’s off to him.”