Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards had one of the most compelling rivalries in the welterweight division. The duo had three intense battles and one of the best title matchups in recent times. UFC veteran Matt Brown is someone well-equipped to understand the legacy of welterweight fighters. Matt Brown recently sat down for an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports FanCast.
During their conversation, interviewer Andrew Whitelaw asked Brown to name his top five welterweights in the UFC. The UFC veteran believed Georges St-Pierre was number one and termed everybody else a distant second. Fighters like Robbie Lawler and Matt Hughes made it to Brown’s list. Two of the most recent champions also made Brown’s list.
Usman obviously has to be in the top five. Maybe Leon, you know, he’s gotta be up there.
Matt Brown via EssentiallySports FanCast
The two former champions first clashed back in 2015, relatively early in their UFC careers. Usman dominated Edwards and won a decision. At their second fight in 2022, Edwards shocked everyone by becoming the first fighter to take Usman down officially. In the final round, with less than a minute left, Edwards delivered a stunning head-kick knockout, ending Usman’s championship reign.
Kamaru Usman vs Leon Edwards 2
One of the craziest moments in MMA history. Usman was dominating the fight and Leon looked like he was fading. But in spite of that, Leon stayed patient and landed a head kick that finished Usman and shocked the world pic.twitter.com/bWw5zaUwnJ
— LopesGOAT | PantojaGOAT (@Pantoja_GOAT) December 4, 2023
The trilogy culminated at UFC 286, where Leon Edwards defended his title in London. The hometown favorite secured a majority decision victory to close out their rivalry. Now, the duo both remain without a title in 2024. If the stars align, a fourth bout between the two best welterweights is not impossible. If they both keep winning, it will definitely happen.
Matt Brown himself has built a reputation as one of the UFC’s most fearsome knockout artists. Brown’s MMA career began after overcoming a troubled youth. At that time, he had drug addiction and brushes with death, including a near-fatal overdose. After more than a decade, Brown announced his retirement earlier this year. However, the legacy of Usman and Edwards still remains afresh.
Kamaru Usman allegedly tried to get physical with welterweight champion Belal Muhammad
Reigning UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad shared details of an unexpected altercation with Kamaru Usman during a podcast recording. This incident occurred while Muhammad was a guest on Usman and Henry Cejudo‘s Pound 4 Pound podcast.
Belal Muhammad reveals Kamaru Usman tried to get physical with him (Image via Imago)According to Muhammad, the tension during their conversation grew intense. Once the intensity rose, Usman got frustrated by Muhammad’s remarks. As such, the former UFC welterweight champion tried to get physical with the Palestinian-American star.
Muhammad described the interaction during an episode of his own podcast, Remember the Show. He suggested that the confrontation escalated because he “verbally broke down” Usman. That led ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ to react physically.
I’ll say this. They’re not very good at talking, so I think I verbally broke down Usman. I think he got emotionally broken so he tried to get physical! But, when you try to get physical with the champion, there’s levels to this.
Belal Muhammad via Remember the Show
The episode in question has not been released yet. Muhammad hinted that the episode may never be released. It just fuels further speculation about the extent of what occurred during the recording. Usman remains a potential challenger for Muhammad’s title despite his recent losses. Their animosity, growing through social media exchanges, suggests that a future bout between the two could be highly charged.
