Kamaru Usman is taking his first UFC loss in great spirits.
Usman’s longtime reign as welterweight champion came to an end this past Saturday at UFC 278 when Leon Edwards landed a stunning headkick knockout in the final minute of their championship headliner. The Nigerian Nightmare was 60 seconds from winning his title, until that shocking moment occurred.
In the end Usman took everything, from the highlights to the reactions of fans, in stride.
“It was a great shot, I’m talking Hail Mary in the Super Bowl,” Usman told TMZ. “That was a great shot, man.
“It is not difficult [to watch it]. Do you know how many people I’ve done that to? That was the beauty of this sport: it happened. But we often forget about what actually took place during that fight. I’m not down at all. Everyone seems to be more upset than me. Everyone else is more emotional than I am. To me, that lets me know that people care, that people are invested.
“I’m so gracious with just the time, and it sucks that the attention is from a defeat,” Usman continued. “I thought I was famous before, but f***, with the meme action going on, oh, I’m famous now.
“It just creates hunger for the return, and I’m just excited for what’s next. I have a rare opportunity now to just inspire and motivate people that you can fall and get back up. It’s exciting .”
Edwards finds himself in a very interesting spot where his next fight is going to be, likely, the most lucrative of his career. While UFC President Dana White believes Edwards and Usman will run it back, there’s other options in play potentially.
With Khamzat Chimiev taking on Nate Diaz in UFC 279,, and his history with Jorge Masvidal there may be other possibilities.
In Usman’s eyes, there’s only one fight that needs to happen — the trilogy in London.
“What else makes sense? I mean, look at the division,” Usman explained. It’s clear what will happen next. Dana was the one who spoke to me. We’re going see. Let him do his work and then we’ll decide what date is most appropriate. It will be at the top of next years.
“I was going to try to squeeze [another] one in this year, but I want the top of next year, and I want to go to England. I’ve been fiending to go to England. I feel like it’s my second home [because] England is like half Africa. It’s not something that people know, but we need to travel over and entertain the English. What better story could there be? This story is simply amazing.
Usman came up short in his bid to tie Anderson Silva’s undefeated streak on Saturday, and ended his reign with five successful title defenses — four behind Georges St-Pierre.
With a win over Edwards under his belt in December 2015, and the unbelievable ending to their second meeting, Usman is happy for his two-time opponent and is excited to have his opportunity to regain the title in early 2023.
“I like Leon. I’ve always liked Leon,” Usman said. “I actually follow Leon on social media, it’s weird. He don’t follow me, but that’s what it is.
” I like Leon and am very proud of him. He took the exact same route as me, and he reminds me in a way. But this is great for his story, and it’s even greater for my story so we’ll run it back. He’s wanted to fight in London for a while, and now he’s got it. Now you got it, and it’s a big one. It’s a mega-fight. Leon deserves a huge congratulations. What a beautiful technique, what a Hail Mary. That’s why I love this sport: anything can happen at any time, and it definitely did.”
