“Special thanks to my management, family, friends, and fans,” the Nigerian wrote on social media after UFC 286 in London. “I appreciate each and every one of you. It wasn’t my evening, but as always, we’ll get back to work. Congratulations to Leon Edwards – great job!”
At the same time, in an interview after the fight, Usman, who lost to Edwards by a majority of judicial votes, made it clear that he did not consider his defeat unconditional.
“I feel like I did enough to win, but I know it was a close fight,” said the former UFC champion. “From the very beginning, I said that Leon and I would see each other again, and this is not the end – I’m sure our paths will still cross. Today he came out with a great plan for the fight, and I have always paid tribute to him and his achievements. London, you’ve got yourself a great champion!”