Tomorrow night, Leon Edwards will look to get back in the win column after two dominant losses to Belal Muhammad and Sean Brady. While there’s no guarantee he’ll get past Carlos Prates, his fans will feel good knowing he’s going against a striker instead of another wrestler.
RELATED: Leon Edwards Fires Back at Carlos Prates for Claiming He’s Past His Prime: ‘I’m Going Out and Reminding Him Who I Am’
Someone who has been there several times with Leon Edwards is Kamaru Usman. While ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ won their first meeting, ‘Rocky’ famously knocked him out with a head kick in the rematch, before scoring a confident and disciplined victory in the trilogy fight.
In a recent podcast, Usman gave his thoughts on the Edwards vs. Prates fight at UFC 322.
Usman’s take on Edwards vs Prates
“Before Leon Edwards, Leon has struggled with pressure grabs,” Usman said on the Pound 4 Pound Podcast.
“With guys that are going to come forward, guys that are going to change levels, take you down, hold you down and beat you up. I showed that. Mohammed showed that and Sean Brady just showed that.”
“It must be a little relief for Leon because he understands that I don’t have to face a man who wants to take me down, who wants to hold me down and beat me up,” Usman explained.
“But the difference is you have a different type of striker,” Usman said of Prates.
“You have a striker who loves to throw knees and elbows. A striker who is very confident. A new type of striker, a child who has no fear.”
“I think this fight is in favor of a guy like Carlos Prates because not only has he shaken off that loss [to Ian Machado Garry]which was a learning lesson.
“Since then, he’s bounced back against Jeff Neal with that huge knockout. And now he’s going up against another southpaw who isn’t primarily known for his power, not primarily known for his aggression.
“He’s more of a slick guy,” Usman said of Edwards after fighting him three times.
“I think this is a better and favorable match for Carlos Prates.”
Quotes via Bloody elbow
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