But Edwards heads into UFC 286 with his name penciled in atop the division, with fans, media, and everyone else waiting to see if he can beat Usman for a second time before they’re willing to acknowledge him as UFC welterweight champion by writing his name in big, bold, indelible ink.
As for Usman, the fact that he’ll be the first to make the walk to the Octagon this weekend and won’t be introduced as “the reigning, defending, undisputed UFC welterweight champion” for the first time in four years doesn’t seem to bother him.
“When Bruce says, ‘the challenger,’ I will feel nothing; I feel nothing,” he said when asked about Bruce Buffer’s impending introduction of him on Saturday evening. “The only thing is when he announces my name, I step forward and let the whole cage feel my presence, including anyone that is in it, and that’s the only thing they feel, and then we get to rumble.
“When he introduces me as ‘the challenger,’ it doesn’t really matter,” he reiterated. “I’ve run through plenty of different stadiums and schools and whooped the guys from that school, so it doesn’t matter.”