Dana White “expected a lot more wrestling” from Kamaru Usman in his welterweight championship fight with Leon Edwards on Saturday.
Usman and Edwards concluded their trilogy at UFC 286 inside the O2 Arena in London. The pair went the full five rounds, with the Brit taking a majority decision victory – despite a point deduction in round three – to retain his welterweight championship.
Speaking to the media at the post-fight press conference, UFC president White revealed that the 35-year-old’s willingness to exchange with Edwards surprised him.
He said: “I expected a lot more wrestling out of Usman than I saw. And when he did try to wrestle, obviously Leon did a great job, especially if you compare it to the first fight.”
“Do I think Usman was [gun-shy]? Yeah, that’s what I thought was going to happen going in. I thought he was going to be very gun-shy. I thought he was going to be holding onto those legs all night. He did the exact opposite. He only shot a few times and he was willing to mix it up in there.”
Dana White’s Full UFC 286 Press Conference
It’s easy to see why Dana White was expecting a wrestling-heavy game plan by Usman going into the fight. Across the two previous bouts, Usman’s NCAA background proved to be beneficial across a lot of the rounds, and had him on his way to winning the second bout between teh two men.
But, despite back-to-back losses to ‘Rocky’, the Nigerian isn’t planning to call time on his career just yet, claiming in his post-fight interview that he will see Edwards for a fourth time. He answered graciously in defeat, and gave props to the his rival, the Birmingham-based Leon Edwards.
He said: “I always said from the start we’d meet again and I’m not done. We will see each other again. I always gave him props for what he’s accomplished. He’s a brother like myself and great respect – London, you’ve got yourselves a great champion.”
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