03 May 2023 , 15:16
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Kamaru Usman feels his rivalry with Leon Edwards is far from over despite suffering back-to-back defeats to the Brit.
Usman, 35, lost his UFC welterweight title when he was knocked out by Edwards in the dying moments of their fight last August. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' was winning most of the fight but Edwards landed a head-kick with less than a minute left in the final round to become the first man to defeat Usman in almost a decade.
Edwards made the first defence of his title by winning a decision against Usman in their trilogy fight at UFC 286 in March. Usman has insisted the bout didn't have the "finality" that he wanted, something he hopes a potential quadrilogy fight against 'Rocky' will bring.
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“I still felt like like there wasn’t finality to the fight,” Usman told ESPN. “The rest of the world kinda still feels like that but props to him. Right now he has that belt and we have to respect that, but I need finality. My thing is I need finality. I need you to show me you are better than me from start to finish. Maybe it’s just me selfishly that I need to feel that. If you can’t show me that, you’re not better than me. I just can’t accept that.
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“Of course, he did what he needed to do to get the win and he did it, so he’s the champion right now and I respect that. I know where I’m at and the level which I still function and where I can. I’m still growing in the sport. As crazy as it is to say, I’m still growing in the sport. So, I’m excited to see what’s next."
(Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)Usman feels that he is just one win away from getting another title shot, suggesting a potential clash against Khamzat Chimaev to decide the next challenger for Edwards after his pencilled-in fight against Colby Covington. UFC boss Dana White has insisted that Chimaev's next fight will take place at 185lb after missing the welterweight limit by 7.5lb for his last fight, but Usman wants to challenge the unbeaten contender.
“I think Leon needs to definitely keep defending that belt," he added. "Myself, I’m No. 1 in the world in that division. I think it’s who’s No. 2? Colby [Covington]. They’re gonna fight and No. 3 is Khamzat [Chimaev]. So, I think a fight with myself and Khamzat, boom. If Leon keeps winning, I think that’s the fourth fight, 100 per cent.”