Leon Edwards defeated Kamaru Usman in a welterweight title bout at UFC 278 in Salt Lake City. Although ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ dominated most of the rounds, ‘Rocky’ won the maiden round. He even took the former champion on the mat and controlled him. He became the first fighter to do so. However, Joe Rogan, the veteran UFC color commentator, believes Edwards wasn’t the first combatant to take down Usman.
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‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ had a record of not being taken down in his UFC career. However, at UFC 268, former title challenger Colby Covington attempted a takedown on the Nigerian fighter in the third round. But it wasn’t awarded to him. Therefore, Usman’s record still remained.
However, Rogan believes otherwise. The UFC commentators Daniel Cormier and Rogan have always been vocal about the same. On the latest episode of ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ podcast, the 55-year-old MMA enthusiast made a case about the same with NFL legend Aaron Rodgers.
“Well, Colby Covington should have gotten credit for a takedown in the second fight. He did take Usman down. Usman’s knees went to the ground and Daniel Cormier was angry that it wasn’t registered as a takedown,” Rogan said.
“He goes, that’s two. And you’re talking about Daniel Cormier. He is an Olympic wrestler. That’s the expert. That’s who you should be going to when you decide whether or not something’s a takedown,” Rogan added.
“So I think they erroneously credited that with the first time that Kamaru Usman has ever been taken down in the UFC. It was the second time. But it was the most significant. Because not only did he take him down, he took him down; he mounted him and then he took his back. And was threatening with a rear naked choke,” Rogan concluded.
Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards 3 is inevitable
It is interesting to note that Usman had previously defeated Edwards via a unanimous decision in their first clash in 2015. Even this time, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ was awarded most of the rounds.
However, the Brit fighter pulled up a Rocky Balboa- esque victory with just one minute left in the last round. He landed a left kick straight to Usman’s temple and knocked him out cold. The former champion was undefeated and pound-for-pound best in the world. Thus, it was a huge win for ‘Rocky.’
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It was one of the most shocking victories in the sport’s history. Given the intensity of the match, the UFC is working on making a trilogy between Usman and Edwards. Even the UFC president Dana White confirmed the same in the post-fight interview and also added that the fight might take place in England on Edwards’s home soil.
After such an amazing win, it will be interesting to see what ‘Rocky’ does in the third fight.
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What are your thoughts about the trilogy? What do you guys think about Rogan’s explanation for Usman being taken down? Let us know in the comments section below.
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