Kamaru Usman’s manager Ali Abdelaziz insists the trilogy bout with Leon Edwards will be the next UFC welterweight championship fight.
After Edwards pulled off MMA Junkie’s 2022 Comeback of the Year and Knockout of the Year in stunning fashion at UFC 278 in August, when he knocked out Usman with an incredible head kick, an immediate rematch has been the target of the UFC brass.
In recent weeks, however, momentum has picked up around Usman possibly not being 100 percent healthy in time for the promotion’s targeted date of UFC 286, which takes place March 18 at The O2 in London. This past weekend, Usman was seen at wearing a hand cast at a regional MMA event.
Abdelaziz, who is Usman’s manager at Dominance MMA, insists there’s nothing to be fearful about. He took to social media on Thursday and declared that the expected matchup will happen next (via Twitter):
Please enough with the rumors, Kamaru is fighting León next, he is good to go. We bringing this belt back to where it belongs.
— Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) January 5, 2023
Please enough with the rumors, Kamaru is fighting León next, he is good to go. We bringing this belt back to where it belongs.
The shocking come-from-behind win by Edwards at UFC 278 brought an end to Usman’s 15-fight winning streak inside the octagon, which was one short of tying Anderson Silva’s all-time record of 16 consecutive UFC wins.
Moreover, the result tied the series between Edwards and Usman at one win each. Usman emerged with a unanimous decision in the initial encounter at UFC on FOX 17 in December 2015.