Leon Edwards plans to retire Kamaru Usman at UFC 286: ‘I’ll open the door for him to pursue his fashion dream’

‘Rocky’ Leon Edwards is confident heading into his UFC 286 world title trilogy showdown against Kamaru Usman. The English fighter is looking to defend his welterweight throne and retire ‘The Nigerian Nightmare.’

Fans have eager to see the trilogy match between Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman. Last year, ‘Rocky’ was able to capture the welterweight throne with a stunning head kick knockout against the reigning world champion. Now, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ is seeking to avenge this loss but Edwards’s confidence is unyielding.

Leon Edwards looking to retire Kamaru Usman

‘Rocky’ will be competing in front of a home nation audience at UFC 286 which is hosted in London, England at the O2 Arena. Regarding the retirement plans against Usman, in an interview with The Daily Star, he explained:

“[Usman] is on his way out, and I’m just gonna open that door for him to go and pursue his fashion dream. Whether he retires after or not, that’s up to him.”

Leon Edwards accomplished his dream by capturing the UFC world title. On what this UFC crown means to him, he explained:

“It feels good. I went through a mad patch when everyone was avoiding me. They didn’t want to fight me but I took the hard route to get to where I wanted to get to and I achieved my goal. They say that when you become the champion you get 30% better and I truly felt that. I felt like I’ve got better physically and mentally.”

‘Rocky’ also likes the sound of performing in front of a UK audience. He added:

“I know how good I am and what I can do. For me it’s about what I can do for my family and my friends, the people that are close to me that are going to be there. I haven’t fought in the UK for about four years, so for me to come back as a champion and defend my belt in front of them that gives me added motivation and energy.”